America's Army: The Genesis Knights Story
by Dorvalla
Summary: This is not a COD based story, but an America's Army story, since AA is not listed as a genre to write over. The Genesis Knights Army Division find themselves in a difficult position as their CO is kidnapped for no obvious reason.
1. Chapter 1

"To the left, I said, you idiot" a voice sounds over the compound, although it's hardly understandable, due to the guns in the background, that make an annoying noise

"To the left, I said, you idiot" a voice sounds over the compound, although it's hardly understandable, due to the guns in the background, that make an annoying noise. The compound, more a training centre, is placed in the middle of nowhere, if such thing exists. The forest that surrounds the place is more a barrier that protects the outside world from the noise that comes from the place, but every year, the officers decide to expand this little piece of their heaven en yet again, another weapon depot, a bunker or garage rises from the ground.

"I said, to the left" again the voice sounds and before the soldier can anticipate he feels a hand over his face. A red mark appears slowly on the face of the somewhat confused soldier and turns slowly blue. The soldier looks up and sees a man in front of him, covered with medals and crosses of honour.

"I am sorry, Sir, I didn't knew you were talking to me" the soldier replies then to asking look of the man. "I didn't know you were my commanding officer." He lowers his eyes while he speaks. "Last time I was here was in October last year, Sir, but because of medical issues, I couldn't report back in. Things have changed around here!"

The man looks to the soldier and then shakes his head. "Sergeant Dorvalla, is it? You should known better since you came allot on this compound. According your personal file that I have on record you have been stationed here since January 2005." A brief smile came upon his face and points to one of the barracks. "Please come, I need to validate you again in the office to get the word you're again on duty, Sarge..."

"So, I don't think I met you then, Sir" Dorvalla grinned while he starts walking towards the barrack.

"No, I don't believe so," the man shrugs and then starts passing towards his office. "My name is Silantia, and I will be your CO during your stay for now!"

"Sharpe was last time when I left"

"Yes, but times change, Sarge. You know, there are allot of new soldiers in the field since last October, but before that too, and I don't know if you all know them!"

"Probably not, but I am not on a summer camp, Sir. Off course I will need to learn their names and abilities, but that will come in time. There will be names I probably still remember!"

"Off course …"

"I bet Jamal is still around, and Joop off course!"

"Jup"

The 2 men reached the small barrack that is used as office for the CO from the Genesis Knights Army Company. Silantia opens the door and let the man inside. The sound of guns fades away while Silantia closes the door and walks to his desk. He takes a seat in his chair and grabs, after searching for a few moments in his cabinet, a folder out of it. He lays it on his desk and opens it and starts reading quickly over the small notes in it and grabs then the main file.

"Sergeant Dorvalla, Platoon GK 11. Member already for more then 2 years … hmmm …. Hmmm …. Surely a nice record you got there, Sarge, although your frag rate is not really what I would expect from a rank like yours. It's 0.36 right now!!"

"I know, Sir, but as I state, I am on and off on the field and it's hard to maintain a steady frag rate. We all have our triggerform, as I prefer to call it!"

"It depends off course how you feel, and it seems you have been really out of the roulation a couple of times. 2 years ago in a car accident broke your legg on 2 spots, a diplomacy quest for the whole army, and your latest entry isn't quiet nice aswell."

"I know, Sir, It contained a personal matter and allot of stress on my mind!"

Silantia nods in understanding and then closes the file. He moves away from the desk and stands in front of the window and glares over the training complex.

"You know, " he pauses for a sec, " …. May I call you Dorv?"

"Off course"

"… Dorv, we need to be sure you will fit in with your team. We got some new people in and you should be more of a mentor off them. You are probably the oldest and should behave like that. Above of that, I will not demote your rank. Sergeant it is and it will stay that way. I ll reward you even maybe later with a higher rank."

"Yes Sir, I understand!"

"Good." Silantia turns around and walks back to his desk and moves a piece of paper towards the man. "You know probably the drill, since you signed this paper probably a few times!"

Dorvalla grins and leans over to sign the paper, that contains he will be now back on duty.

"Alright, you know sickbay, probably? " When Dorvalla nods, Silantia continues. "Anyway, make sure they declare you healthy and ready to go, then report to Barrack 11 to meet your new squad; I think they are eager to get to know you, Sarge."

"Yes Sir!"

Dorvalla stands up and grabs his bags again, lifting them up and puts them on his shoulder.

".. and Dorv …. "

The man turns around and glares at the CO

" … show them the drills, you know GK better then them…. " he stops for a sec and then continues. "That's an Order !!"

"Hooah!"

As Dorvalla leaves the building, Salantia looks at him, slowly nods and mumbles: "I hope he will improve fast. But everybody seems to believe in him from the old team, so why shall I not!"

And with a smile on his face he puts the paperwork in an envelop and calls in one of his runners. "Deliver this to General DarkStar!"

--

Dorvalla found himself in a small barrack on the east of the office from Silantia. The barrack was maybe 50 by 50 feet and offered space for the main medical staff from the compound. The barrack was divided in one hallway with on each side 3 rooms; 2 of them were treatment chambers, where wounded soldiers could come to treat there wounds, while the 2 smaller rooms provided the necessary space for desk work.

The hallway it self was also designed for a waiting area with a few wooden benches. Well, designed is a big word. After allot of complaints from several soldiers, the main staff decided that a few benches couldn't hurt. The result to this was that there was hardly walk space, so if a heavy wounded soldier was brought in, it turned out that everybody in the hallway had to leave the building or else he or she couldn't get through it.

Dorvalla was in that area right now, starring at the white-brownish wall in front of him, observing the sign on it. On the sign, a human body was drawn with explanations from the muscles written with it. He was waiting until the doctor would call him in, since the medical genius was doing a surgery by a wounded soldier. It seemed that the unlucky lad was to close to the explosion when a mine detonated, was the quick explanation of one of his assistants.

The door swung open and another soldier stepped in the building. His hand was on his right hip. It was obvious he had a wound there since around his hand his pants were coloured dark red, while the rest of the pants were still in natural green-brownish colour. He sat down, carefully, next to Dorvalla and observed the new face.

"You are okay?" he asked, while he kept starring at Dorvalla

"Jup, I am fine," Dorvalla replied, and then turned to the wounded soldier, "….can't say that from you though"

A small, but painful smile appeared on his face and removed his hand from the wound, so Dorvalla could see what had happened. A single bullet had penetrated into the human flesh and was stuck. The blood made it look bad, but as Dorvalla knew, it looked worse then it actually was. This was only a 2 minute procedure for a doctor and probably the man could probably resume his training the same day. He would only have a bit of a pain on that spot.

"I have never seen your face around here…" the soldier suddenly said. "Are you new?"

Dorvalla cocked his head. "Nope, I am not new here. Actually, I am already here for 2, 5 years but well, I am allot away from the base!"

"Ahh, I came in while you were probably away. My name is Backstabber!"

"Nice to meet you, although I preferred to have it under other circumstances, "Dorvalla grinned while he pointed to the leg, "I am Dorvalla, Sergeant of the Genesis Knights Squad, Alpha Team."

"Heh, I am in Bravo Team, but I think we will work then together allot!"

"Guess so... "Dorvalla made a move with his hand towards the wounded leg, "So how did it happen?"

Backstabber grinned, "Venomz was angry at me, since I pinned him down again on the training ground. He tried to make me dance, but I understood it to late, then the bullet was already in my hip!"

"Going to report him to Silantia?"

"Meh, officially I should report it, but then again, I am better then him! I don't think his feelings will change when he is for 5 days in the brick"

"Ahh, okay!"

It was silent for a few minutes, then the door from one of the treatment rooms went open and the doctor came out, looking back and nodded satisfied. "Who's next?"

"I think you can treat this soldier first. I just need a signature from you to declare that I am healthy and can resume duties!"

"Okay Dorv, what ever you say!" The doc said and gave him a wink. Backstabber looked quickly to Dorvalla.

"You know him?"

"Ow yes, I used to be in training with him. He only couldn't stick around for his health, although he was a star in medical issues and determine the seriousness of a wound. Ow yes, Biker was an excellent team player, actually he still is, and honoured soldier. But now, you hardly see him anymore on the battlefield. Sometimes, you just miss those old days!"

Dorvalla's thoughts floated away while Backstabber walked along with Biker to another treatment room, so the bullet could be removed from his hip.

Yeah those old days were great, with for example 3rds Guard, Biker, Ace, Airjordan, Lethal, Kiemo, DarkYova and all the others on the front, protecting their objectives for their lives.

"Your turn, Dorv!"

Dorvalla looks up out of his thoughts and notices Biker stands in front of him while the front door just closes. He turns his head quickly and sees Backstabber for a second, who tries to walk normally out of the building.

"Alright, let's get this over with!"

--

After he got checked by the doctor and he got the "cleared" stamp, he reported in to his barrack. The wooden barrack, positioned on the west side of the compound, offered only spaces to the Alpha team, which he was assigned to. Next to that barrack, was another barrack placed that contained Bravo team. A third barrack gave a roof to the mess hall, a small room where you could relax and a training room, where you could enhance your theoretical knowledge about guns, strategy and medical issues and how to treat them.

Dorvalla opened the door of the Alpha building and looked around. Immediately a few heads looked up to the newcomer and looked curious to his face. The one closest to the door stepped from his bed and walked to him

"Hello, are you lost?"

"No, I am not." Dorvalla grinned, "I ll be your new roomie and your squad member!"

The yaw of the person slowly dropped and looked to the paper on the wall. His eyes scanned the lines on the paper, but he seemed not to detect what he was looking for.

"Silantia hasn't reported us that you were coming, ehm ….."

"Sergeant Dorvalla, call me Dorv!"

A man in the back looked up, smiled broadly and waved to the newcomer. He got up from his bed and walked to the front and stuck out his hand to Dorvalla

"Hey Dorv, what's new buddy? How did the negotiations went on the front?"

"Hey Axell. They went alright!" Dorvalla replied, shook his hand and continued with a sense of humour. ".. Else I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

The two men laughed, since they both knew the horrible fragrate of Dorvalla. Although he made some pretty important kills and tags, he still had to take aiming classes from time to time. Dorvalla was actually more of the tactics and communication then having a killer's instinct. He preferred to do the objectives without shooting, it was actually now these days more of a miracle when you did that anyway. Not losing a single bullet in combat was a taboo, and you were for ninety-nine percent sure that you probably ended up as a meat bag, dead on the floor.

"Well, I am Dude, your Team leader!" replied suddenly the man who had spoken to him.

Dorvalla observed the man, and came to realize that this man wasn't that old. He actually made a guess that his superior in the squad was younger then him. Actually, as he then looked around the room, he estimated that he was probably the oldest of the team. Oh well, he had to deal with it. His previous experiences in the squad with other people should become handy and might given even his team maybe an advantage.

Now to think about it, Dorvalla recalled memories of those times: he had served under Lord Kao, Lestat, Delta-boy, Biker, Ace, X- "marks the spot" Factor, Airjordan and Sharpe. On that moment, most of the recruits of this compound were American, but it seemed it got a twist. There were more Europeans now. He couldn't count them on 2 hands actually, but that was good; for some odd reason he liked to work actually with the Americans more then with the Europeans. Maybe it came due to the fact that he was stationed for a while in Halifax, Canada and he took over a bit of the American mentality.

"Nice to meet you, Dude!" Dorvalla shook the hand of the team leader and cocked his head a bit. "Seems like I have to meet the team then!"

"Well," Dude pointed to Axel, "you know Axell …"

Dorvalla nodded.

"The man over there is Rc-Rally, " Dude continued and pointed to a young man who just came out of the bathroom. "He is mostly the man who gives us support fire."

Dorvalla listened and scanned his new team mate. He noticed the hand of Rc-Rally was a bit damaged. If you looked closely you could see the marks of a few stitches on his right hand. It were the little things Dorvalla saved in his mind. It might come handy later.

" … This lad over here is OBrien!" Dude said while he pointed to a firm young man. "He is our killer and a fine team mate!" Dude leaned in and whispered. "And he has a great ego, so watch out for that!"

Dorvalla smirked.

The door behind him flew open and a man came in, and apparently very exited.

"Dorv …."

"Sharpe ….."

"Dorv ….. is that really you?"

"Last time I checked I was!"

The two men shook hands and their faces were both one big smile.

"I learned it from Backstabber, who had seen you in sickbay, you were back on duty. Oh my god, I am so happy, somebody from the old days who rejoins us!"

"Yeah, actually, the diplomacy mission went okay, but I missed the M4A in my hand. So I applied again and I don't think that Darkstar would have rejected me as soon as he noticed my application!"

"Man, I thought you would never return after you left last time for a diplomatic mission. I was already afraid I lost my favourite prey when we are training!"

"What? Aren't they as easy as me?" Dorvalla laughed and he gave his old friend a push against the shoulder. "It seems that we have to do then a session soon together then and that you have to own me then!"

They both laughed again.

"First we need to catch op old times again. Come, lets go to the mess hall. I ll pay today for it. Next time it's yours" Sharpe said, after they stopped laughing and then turned to Dude. "Dude, I ll take him with me for … ehm … interrogations …"

"For what?" Dude replied quick, helpless. He knew he wouldn't have a chance against his superior.

"I am going to hear him out about the enemy. He might have some useful information we can use in our database, so we can develop a new strategy!" Sharpe quickly made up and gave a wink to Dorvalla.

"Yes Colonel, as you wish!" Dude answered sad, but quickly stepped forward, "But I need to report your behaviour to Joop or Jamal, because this is unheard!"

Dorvalla turned this time around to Dude and replied sharp: "Well, you can do that, but if you involve my name, they will throw your complain in the wind and run to the mess hall themselves to check out that I am still alive!"

Dude sighted and made a move with his hand, knowing he lost the first battle with Dorvalla, verbally.

"We will see, now go!"

And with Dude's approval, Dorvalla and Sharpe left the Alpha building, on their way to the mess hall, to catch up on old times.


	2. Intermezzo 1, Dorvalla's Story

Intermezzo 1, Dorvalla's Story

Sharpe and Dorvalla sat down in a corner of the mess hall, wich basically existed out of a few benches, chairs, tables and a small kitchen, where every member of the division would cook, do the dishes or just randomly would prepare something. Sharpe and Dorvalla just got themselves a nice cup of hot coffee.

"Doesn't taste like Starbucks!" said Dorvalla, after taking a small sip from the hot brownish liquid. He added a few scoops of sugar in it and swirled his spoon around in the coffee, dissolving the matter, with result the coffee would taste sweeter.

Sharpe laughed and took a sip as well "No, not at all. But you got used to all the luxery out of the compound. You slept the last half year in hotels?"

Dorvalla shook his head. "You would be surprised if I told you where I slept!" He stopped in tried again his coffee. "Better ….."

Sharpe looked at him, waiting for answers on questions he would love to ask, but he knew his buddy would freak out on the large amount of questions he had for him.

"Sleeping in tents mainly!" Dorvalla's smile disappeared. "Can you imagine how cold it is there, and you sleep in tents. You have no good shower, no decent shelter, because when it starts to rain, everything gets wet. And when the sun is shining it's 40 degrees Celsius in matter of seconds…." Dorvalla leaned back slowly and closed his eyes for a sec. " … There were times I even thought I couldn't survive this diplomacy mission!"

Sharpe looked back, impressed by what Dorvalla told him. He knew his buddy was a born optimist, saying everything that was on his heart, and Sharpe had no problem with believing the words that just came out of his buddies mouth.

"No, in enemy lines, infiltrating and hoping you get a good result, negotiating over some stupid piece of land, to find yourself in the middle of nowhere, with cities away from you for 100 miles; It eats your brain after a while. Azerbaijan isn't really the perfect spot to do negotiations!"

"But you weren't alone?"

"Hell no, or else I would have been dead by now. We ran in so many terrorist cells, I cant even count them on 2 hands. And damn, I have been away for only 4 months!" Dorvalla put his cup on the table after taking another sip. "No, we were with 4 of us, Two Italian soldiers, one American and me!" Dorvalla sighted. "I wouldn't last a week there if I hadn't had them!"

"Seems like you didn't felt too lucky when you stepped out the plane and set foot on Azerbaijan!"

"Would you?"

"No, " Sharpe replies, "but you had a dream to be holding the responsibility between death and life! That dream came true in this away mission. You held the responsibility between war and peace…. " The Staff adviser took a sip of his coffee, "….And most of all, you succeeded in that!"

"On top of that, " Dorvalla continued, "The plane didn't brought us to the right position, since you just cant land there a plane."

Sharpe sighted and knew already what Dorvalla meant. His buddy probably made a jump from height out of the plane to land behind enemy lines.

"It's all rough mountain, rock and sand. Sometimes I even wonder what is possible with a country like that. Your just walking there to get from point A to point B and the whole day, you see the same. No variations in the land, just mountain, rock and sand." Dorvalla took again a sip from his coffee and shook his head. "Then you realised, that you miss on what you experienced. I missed the green fields, the cows, the smell of the animals, the kids playing in the street. Damn I missed even the training sessions of Poacher!"

On the last comment of Dorvalla, Sharpe tried not to burst in laughing. He knew Dorvalla hated from time to time the training sessions Poacher did with them. Every time Poacher picked Dorvalla to be aiming target, when they shot with paint bullets. He recalled all the days he found Dorvalla, in the shower washing again all his clothing because of the red paint Poacher made them shoot with.

"I assume with those words your glad to be back?" Sharpe tried to look as neutral as possible, but Dorvalla knew otherwise

"Yes, I am feeling great. Surely Poacher found himself another victim?"

"Yeah, I think he uses Venomz or Pogi for it now! You should be safe. He gave you a damn rough time. I think if you would send your clothing to the Vanish factories to be tested on, they will be surprised how dirty clothing can really can get!"

With those words, Sharpe burst out in laughing, and also Dorvalla couldn't control his smile anymore.

After a short amount of time, they both regained control over their laugh and both took quietly a sip of their coffee again.

"Man, haven't had a good laugh in ages!" Sharpe finally said "It's always dead serious here. Especially last weeks!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, " Sharpe moved his chair to the back, "There are forces moving around us.. People from the outside, threatening us, trying to get rid of us. A few weeks ago they blew up one of our weapons cache with a simple press on the button. We never saw it coming, it was like somebody from the inside gave them information on how to work, but Intelligence hasn't found anything. Either this person is really good or we are looking at a really strong opponent!"

"So … who are they?"

"They call themselves the Black Sun, and organisation of terrorists that tries to exterminate everything that comes on their path!"

"Sounds nasty, but if they cross my path I will …. "

"What we, as division, learned about them isn't nice…. I don't want you to even think about the fact that we beat them in one blow. These guys are well prepared and ………. "

The door flew open and Joop came running in. His head was red and he seemed to be out of breath, but on the looks of his face it was dead serious.

"I need you two… now !!"

"What's wrong?"

"Silantia ……….. he has been ….. caught by Black Sun….. held hostage in Weapons Cache number 4!!"

The last thing Dorvalla knew before he was in the truck to the Weapons Cache was that his cup of coffee felt on the floor and his cup shattered in pieces.


	3. Chapter 2

"Okay gentlemen

A medium sized group of soldiers had gathered around the truck, that was around the corner of the weapons cache,

"Okay gentlemen. I wish this was a training, but this is deadly serious! Black Sun is in weapons cache number 4. They have 3 hostages. Silantia, your Commanding Officer and 2 guards from the weapons cache. As inside information gives us, the terrorists should be heavily armed, especially since they access to our grenades, which are stored in there!" he took a breath, "Intelligence tells also that there should be at least 15 of them, so watch your back and your buddies too. You know what happens if you don't do!"

He referred to Nick; The lad had an ego and had tried to eliminate the leader of the Black Sun. He thought he could do it all himself, but instead of killing the terrorists, a terrorist had pinned him down through a shot in his leg, while he was trying to make a run for safer spot, after he had opened fire. He had fallen on the ground, and had tried to get up, but before he realized it, a grenade took his life away, exploding just a meter away from him. A few of the crew who were standing here, were actually witness of this horror.

OBrien whistled softly under his tongue. "We might be in for a tough ride!"

"Yes OBrien. They are not afraid of dying up there, just for their goal to get rid of us in this area!"

"So, " said Sharpe after a little hesitation, "do you have a plan yet, or you want us to come up with it?"

"We have 3 penetration points, " Jamal took it over from Joop, and pointed to the 3 dimensional projection of the weapons cache, "North, which is a small door leading to the right wing of the building. Centre, who will lead to the main storage and South, to shipping and receiving. But I guess you guys know that area better then me." He stopped for a moment and inspected the faces of his soldiers, "I am going to divide the group in 3 teams. Alpha exists out of Sharpe and Dorvalla. Bravo will be Poacher and Dude, Charlie will be OBrien and myself. Joop will be monitoring us moving through the building, and supply us with tactical data. Backstabber, Godlike and White Eagle will be doing a distraction move on the goal, to draw attention, so our teams will have a clear run to the building."

"Yes Sir!"

"Okay, Alpha will go north, Bravo will take centre and Charlie South. White Eagle, I want you and Godlike taking fire on the left upper window, while Backstabber will 203 the wall next to the right window. I want nothing inside there! We could injure or make a friendly kill. And a dead CO has no use for us! You got that, Backstabber?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Alright, once inside, you are all on your own. We can only warn you from distance, but your eyes and ears should be your main radar! You can set out your own way through building, but I want you guys to stick together!"

Dorvalla raised his hand, "Sir, are we allowed to use fifth freedom?"

It was quiet for a split second. Jamal sunk in thoughts and Joop did the same. Then Joop responded. "Fifth freedom is already given to you guys by General Darkstar. But I prefer to have an escape for this, plus information would be welcome!"

Poacher scratched behind his ears. "You want us to catch you one?"

Joop smiled, "Yes Poacher, that's exactly what I mean. He can be injured, I don't care, as long as he breaths and talks, I am fine with it." His smile faded away from his face again and looked to his soldiers, "It s not our top priority to catch one, but if you get the opportunity, please do!"

Godlike looked worried. "They use, according to latest intelligence, suicide bombers. Make sure you kill those. Wouldn't like that you guys got blown up while you capture one!"

"Okay gentlemen, this is it. Prepare yourself now. We going to drop you in the hotzone in 10 minutes, so make good use of those 10 minutes. Check your gear, make your outfit complete, do radio checks, and please don't get nervous. It's not a walk in the park, I know, but we can pull this off, like we do in every training!"

Everybody saluted the Executive Officers

"Dismissed!"

--

Sharpe looked at Dorvalla while people started to walk away, relax or checking their gears. He then walked to his buddy

"I was thinking of the elevator shaft, Dorv. I know there is a ladder in it where we can climb up. If we are lucky, we surprise them from top!"

Dorvalla checked his radio once more and after he was certain that the thing couldn't failed him, he nodded to Sharpe. His thumb went in the air, and Sharpe took it with a nod. He look for a moment satisfied, then his face went back to a concerning look. He looked out of the window of the building they were both in, with a view on the hill towards the weapons cache. It looked all clear and quiet, but he knew better.

"How long before Joop will give us the sign to rush for it?" Dorvalla looked at Sharpe and tapped with his fingers on the table he was sitting on, "Backstabber 'nadded that window 5 minutes ago, and not to forget that Godlike and White Eagle also ceased fire on the other window!"

"Yes, I know Dorv," Sharpe smiled, but he was also impatient. "They are counting enemies. As far as known, there are spotted 13 of them by radar and by infra red!"

"Hell, how can we even get track of them?" Dorvalla countered, "Hell, I don't count my enemies I shoot!"

"You and shooting enemies?" Sharpe laughed, but after a short time of entertainment, he stopped laughing. He continued with a small grin upon his face, "Just think you are in Disney land, Dorv. Place yourself in front of the shooting gallery and imagine yourself standing there with an air bucks, aiming at the cardboard cartoons, and shoot then on the heads of Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy!"

Dorvalla shrugged, "I prefer to be in Warner Brothers Movie World. I prefer to aim my gun at that annoying duck… ehmm daffy??, yeah daffy duck… and what about that stuttering pig…. ehm ….What was his name again…… uhmm…."

"Porky?"

"Yeah, Porky.. that's it;….. I freaking hate that pig…." Dorvalla made a vague throw-away gesture.

"de….pe …..da……de ...pe…..da…… That's all folks!" Sharpe laughed.

Dorvalla aimed his riffle to Sharpes feet. "Don't make me let you dance, mister fancy pants … besides… we work with fifth freedom, my friend. I have license to kill!"

"On the enemy." Sharpe Corrected

"Yeah whatever…. Just stop it!"

Sharpe smiled. "Hehe, I missed that: the enjoyable threats from you, saying you ll shoot me or torture me when I do something that doesn't suit me. You are, as they call it, easy to pick on!" Sharpe couldn't resist to give him a wink. "Love to make fun out of you!"

Dorvalla laughed. "You just had a hard time to make fun with someone! Kiemo is not here anymore, and well, I think he had, besides of me, a good sense of humor!"

"Yeah, Kiemo was transferred to another division. I see him sometimes on the compound, though, but it's just not as what it was used to be. Also Lethal got transferred. Dodoman or Avalon, how ever you wanna call him, has been transferred and ……"

Sharpe got interrupted by his radio, screeching.

"Intelligence reported a 14th member of Black Sun in the building. And reinforcements of Black Sun are 1 hour away. Several Squads have been moved to there, to hold them off. I think the COD and CSS divisions are been send to their location, but I need to have a positive ID on that!"

Joop sounded tired over the radio

"Roger That"

"Acknowledged"

"10-4, Sir"

Sharpe responded with 10-4 and then put the radio back on his belt and grinned at Dorvalla.

"You hear that buddy, another Daffy Duck to shoot!" he laughed, and Dorvalla couldn't help to not laugh too because of it. It was a good way to relax a bit, since he knew he was tense. The live of their CO was at stake here and a mistake could mean certain death. These guys, as Sharpe had told him, are not to be underestimated.

Dorvalla looked down to the floor for a second and saw that a smoke grenade had felt on the floor from the table. He crouched and picked it up. Suddenly he got an idea.

"Sharpe… you know what they store in north?"

Sharpe thought for a second: "…… Ehmm, I think smoke grenades, 203's and ….." Sharpe mouth dropped and he realized what Dorvalla meant. "You want to use the smoke grenades?"

"Yes… we could make a nice diversion with it, don't you think?" He grabbed the smoke and put it back on table. "You see, this is our chance. We rush inside and …."

"With caution!" Sharpe replied

"Okay, we go inside, with caution, and we will try to get to one of the smoke grenade crates. Once we have some of them, we fill the hallway to the main storage room with smoke so they think we will come through there. If I was guessing correctly, the elevator hasn't been fixed yet by engineering, so the elevator is still stuck somewhere in the middle. So what we do is that we take the ladder in the elevator shaft to climb up. We crawl into the vent, just above the third floor, sneak behind them, and grab them!"

Dorvalla made wild gestures with hands while he drew this out on a piece of paper he found. Sharpe looked at him, nodding.

"Sounds solid, besides the fact that the crates have to be there. You don't know if they took it up there, yes or no?"

"Improvisation Sharpe. If we encounter your scenario, I suggest you make something up then!"

"Ohh I will, Dorv, don't you worry about that!"

He smiled, but his radio bleeped again, and Sharpe grabbed it. "Sharpe here!"

"Get ready, Colonel. We are going to give you cover fire you in 60 seconds!"

"Roger that, Sir!" He put his radio away, did his earplug from the radio in and lowered the microphone from his helmet to the height of his mouth. Then he shoved a new magazine of 30 bullets into the holder of his M4A, and looked at Dorv, who was putting on his special eye goggles for a brighter sight. "Let's kick some ass there!!"

--

"Go go go!"

The sound of Joops voice sounded in the ears of Dorvalla as soon as he opened the door and suddenly got exposed for enemy fire. Dorvalla moved quickly, staying low to his first target, an old jeep that was parked on the parking lot in front of the Weapons Cache. He had to run about three hundred feet, but he made it alive to his temporarily shelter, with thanks to White Eagle and Godlike, who were firing on the windows, and Backstabber, who opened fire with his two – oh – three on the other window. Dorvalla moved quickly to the side as soon as Sharpe joined him, who's smile was now totally disappeared. His always serious face expression was now gone and it seemed he got taken by his dark thoughts. It seemed Sharpe was now one with his goal, just to get there by determination.

But Dorvalla knew also determination wasn't enough. Though he was convinced about Sharpes weapon handling, his tactics and strategies and most and for all his logical thinking. If you had Sharpe with you, you knew you were safe. Him thinking, made you already invincible, since his logics made so much sense it always had affect on the enemy.

Sharpe looked to Dorvalla as soon as he got to the car and pointed to the door, which was their entrée point into the weapons cache. Dorvalla nodded and waited till Godlike and White Eagle resumed fire. Then he moved quickly to the wall, so he was out of sight for any enemy who could shoot him from out of the window. Sharpe followed his example. Crouching they moved against the wall towards the door.

"Open – Flash – Smoke – Heat goggles – Enter!"

Those words made Dorvalla clear to get ready. He took a smoke grenade from his belt and waited for Sharpe.

Sharpe pushed gently the door open until he had enough space to threw his flashbang inside. He pulled out the pin and threw it inside, into the corridor. A shout from an enemy made him clear they were waiting for them.

BANG !!

Dorvalla moved now in front of the door and took the pin out of his smoke grenade and threw it inside. A plop made him clear that the smoke grenade did its job and was clouding the whole corridor. Sharpe pushed now in one time the door fully open, with allot of power so in case there was somebody behind the door, he would get hit. Lowering his goggles quick, he moved inside, and checked behind the door, where he found nothing but an empty crate. As he turned around, he saw Dorvalla moving in and covering the rest of the corridor. With his goggles it was easy to determine a person thanks to his or her body heat.

And so did Dorvalla, because behind a wall he noticed a slight colour change in his sight, meaning somebody was hiding behind it. Sharpe noticed it too and aimed his riffle to the edge of the wall, watching the movements with his goggles.

The man moved towards the corner and had actually no chance at all when he thought he could surprise the two soldiers. He jumped around the corner and thought he had pulled the trigger of his AK-47, but instead, he never came that far, because bullets from the two M4's penetrated the human flesh of the man. The man stood for one second still. His arms became heavy and couldn't hold the riffle anymore. Then he collapsed on the floor, the riffle falling next to him. He tried to speak and cry from the pain he suddenly felt going through his body, but no sound came out of his mouth; only sound of his longs, that tried to reach for oxygen, but only got filled with blood was the only sound that came out of him.

Sharpe moved out of the smoke and scanned the area. After he was certain no threat was near him besides the dying man, he looked down. Then he took his pistol and shot the man through the head, to make sure the man didn't had to suffer from a painful dead.

Dorvalla looked down to the dead body and pressed in the button of his radio. "Enemy down!"

"Roger that, "responded Joop, "That's already 3 down. Jamal took already two down!"

Sharpe shook his head and then he grabbed from the side his little periscope to peek around the corner. He looked for at least 30 seconds and then he looked up from of his little toy.

"Two enemies, one at the left crate and one behind the corner. And you are lucky man, your smoke grenades are there!" he whispered.

Dorvalla resisted to say "told you so" but he couldn't suppress a smile. He checked his riffle if it was in perfect condition, which it was, but he wanted to make sure.

Sharpe checked again through his periscope and then he put it away in one of his side pockets of his jacket. He checked for the amount of bullets in his gun and grabbed a smoke grenade. He made a movement to the other side of the corridor with his hand, and Dorvalla nodded.

Sharpe threw the smoke grenade exactly where he wanted it, and a second later the corridor started to fill up with smoke. A cough from one of the guys made Dorvalla aware of the danger he was in as he started to move across the corridor to a few pallets that were placed. Dorvalla guessed that they were used to transport the boxes with smoke grenades or other weapons in it, to this cache.

Another cough, and Dorvalla turned, grabbed his pistol and shot at the guy who was coughing, all in one smooth movement. The man screamed and made clear that he was hit. Through the smoke it was hard to see where or it was just a trap.

Dorvalla reached the other side of the corridor after a second and sat quickly down behind the pallets, 1 second he thought and then he pressed the button of his radio.

"Sharpe, can you throw a grenade in the middle, a High Explosive one. I ll press fire and while the try to recover I ll take them down. I note that one of them is hit by my gun shot, not sure though!"

"Yes, I heard it too" Sharpe replied on the radio. "Okay, brace for impact of the grenade though!"

"Roger that!"

Sharpe cocked the grenade and waited a few seconds until he peeked around the corner and threw it on the designated area.

KABOOOOMMMMMM !!

The ground shook, and pieces of plaster came down from the ceiling and felt on the floor. The pallets where Dorvalla was sitting behind, gave him perfect cover. He moved up as soon as the grenade had exploded and threw a flash bang at the same spot.

BANG !!

Dorvalla moved quickly now over the debris that had come down from the ceiling and moved quickly around the corner. On the ground, with his hands in front of his eyes, was the man he had shot with his pistol. Dorvalla didn't hesitated and shot the man right thru his body 3 times, and saw the man collapsing on the floor.

Immediately he turned around and sprayed 3 bullets to the man who was behind him, although this man was laying already on the floor. He was bleeding severely and Dorvalla guessed the man had took heavy damage from the impact of the grenade. Without thinking he moved to the man, kneeled beside him and checked if he was dead. He layed his hand on the neck and felt for a pulse, but he got no response from the body; meaning, the man was dead.

While he kneeled down next to the dead man, out of the shadows a new presence appeared, the third man, aimed his gun at Dorvalla, who was with his back towards him.

"Goodbye, toy soldier!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At the moment the soldier said his words, a loud gunshot was heard through the area. Dorvalla froze and stopped breathing for a second as he heard the shot. His face turned pale and he slowly looked up. He could feel the heat from the bullet. Only it wasn't in his body; it passed him. The bullet had passed him and penetrated somebody or something else.

Dorvalla turned around and saw a man standing there, grinning, and having his ak47 aimed at him. But instead of squizing the trigger, and gave Dorvalla the deathblow, he just stood there for a second. The he felt back, with his head against the wall. Not able to speak he hang there for an instance and then slowly slid towards the floor, leaving a red trail of blood on the floor behind. In a sitting position he held still and his head cocked to the right, laying on his shoulder.

A small hole above his right eye was the cause of his behaviour, as blood slowly pored out of the wound and started covering his face.

Dorvalla moved slowly towards the dead body, with his hand on his pistol, knowing he still had a few bullets. After he made sure the surrounding was clear now, he crouched and picked up the AK47 and checked it.

"I think now you are supposed to say 'thank you for saving my life, Sharpe!' "

Dorvalla turned around and saw Sharpe standing there, with a pistol in his hand, aiming it at the dead body still.

"I could say that, but I would lie then!" Dorvalla responded to Sharpe's remark.

The saviour frowned and Dorvalla continued as he pointed to the AK47. "The bastard forgot to check his riffle. It was jammed!"

Sharpe chuckled. He remembered his first lessons about the AK47 from Poacher and repeated slowly the lines. "The AK47 is a powerful semi automatic riffle, very often used by guerrilla fighters. Created by the Russians

"So, " Dorvalla said after Sharpe's lesson in AK47's, I think I have to rephrase that line." He cought and then continued: "Thank you for giving me cover, we will never know what would have happened if you never had killed this piece of scum!"

"Anytime, Sarge!" Sharpe made a gesture with his arms, "You pay the next time I order Starbucks Coffee!"

Dorvalla smiled and turned back to the dead body, laid the AK back on ground and began searching the dead corpse.

"Thought you said there were only two enemies in this area, Colonel!"

"Yeah well, I can't look through walls, you know. The guy was well hidden from my periscope. It would have been a walk in the park for him if I hadn't spot him!"

"It's okay, he is dead now anyways. And besides, that angel on my shoulder, the one I told you about last year, still sits on my shoulder, as you just saw, and protect my uber sexy ass!"

Sharpe couldn't help to smile and responded: "That flubber ass of you is sexy, I have seen on fatasses dot com better asses then yours!"

"Hey, don't insult my ass, it's gorgeous!" Dorvalla shook his head and opened the jacket of the corpse. His eyes grew large and his own hand went immediately to the radio button.

"Joop, this is Dorvalla, " his voice sounded scared, "I found a detonator from a possible C4 bomb!"

"Crap…." Was the answer over the radio

"The whole freaking building might be wired with explosives….." Sharpe added and start looking around the room, with hope he might find something.

"Alright, " Joop responded, and switched channel to common channel so everybody could hear it. "Alpha team found a detonator that may indicate they wired the whole building with caution. Try to disarm all bombs you encounter. I am gonna call in the bomb removal squad so you can move on!"

"This is Poacher, " sounded another voice, "we just encountered also one and disarmed it with success, they are really unprofessional in these stuff, it's a matter of removing the front plate and take of the timer. I think they used this as a final resort and didn't put allot of effort in it!"

"Alright, thanks for the information, Captain, "Joop responded and continued. "Still I am gonna send in RC-Rally and Dark Sniper to clean the mess up and take the corpses out. I count for Alpha 1 body …… "

Sharpe interrupted. " 4 bodies, we just took another 3 down "

"Okay 4 bodies for Alpha, 1 for Bravo, and Charlie took 2 down, makes that there are 7 dead enemies here and probably 6 or more still in this building. Alright keep going, teams.. Silantia's life is here at stake!"

Dorvalla moved to one of the crates and opened one of it, and grabbed a few smoke grenades.

"We will need this babies!"

Sharpe nodded and took also a few, and putted them in the pockets of his jacket. "So you gonna smoke the corridor towards the main storage?"

"Was thinking of it; might gives us the element of surprise while we climb up the elevator shaft!"

"True…."

Suddenly the building was shaking again as a large explosion was heard. It came from the other side of the building, but the whole building was trembling. Plaster came down the ceiling and dust flew up in the sky from shaking. Dorvalla and Sharpe ducked in a reflex and grabbed their guns

What happened next was indescribable. Voices from the radio that went thru the headset into his ear made Dorvalla almost deaf from the sound of a screaming man, shouting things Dorvalla couldn't make sense of. He was hysterical. Dorvalla suddenly recalled the voices of OBrien, who was screaming, while Joop tried to calm him down. He tried to listen to what was said by OBrien….

He repeated the same thing over and over

" …. Bomb exploded. ……… Jamal is Down ……….. Jamal is down …… not responding body, no life signs….. I need a medic NOW !!"

Sharpe and Dorvalla stared at each other at the same time while their jaw dropped.

--

Dorvalla and Sharpe looked at each other as the noise in their ears kept repeating. Obrien screaming for help, while Joop tried to relax him. Sharpe noticed a tear in Dorvalla's eye but it seemed Dorvalla could read his mind and whipped it away. He sniffed for a second, but then he transformed back to the guy he was before, confident with a riffle and totally concentrated.

Sharpe laid quickly a hand on Dorvalla's shoulder: "Trust me, he will be fine. We have some amazing medics out there. You know, Obrien is an amazing medic, but as I hear it now he isn't on the battlefield. I think he is more confident in the O.C. !"

Dorvalla nodded sad for a second. "Sorry, just … me and Jamal …. We go a long way…. We joined about at the same time, and we had tons of fun, but also serious sessions. He is one of the guys who made me in this division!"

Sharpe agreed. "Without Jamal, I don't even think I would have been here in the first place!"

"Let's keep going, and take them down for Jamal!"

For some odd reason, Sharpe didn't believed his words now on what he said earlier to Dorvalla, about Jamal surviving it. The words from Obrien were pretty close to hysterical and Sharpe never heard the lad that way. Maybe it was best for him now not to tell Dorvalla about it. He didn't want to hurt his buddy more then already by this. He lost already a few true battle buddies during combat. Sharpe had too, but none of them were actually as close as Jamal.

Sharpe concentrated at the door in front of them and checked it. Off course, and he had expected it, it was locked. He laid then down on the floor and looked under it the door and glared around. There was a shadow, but the Colonel couldn't say if it was either a shadow from an object in the room, or actually a person.

He didn't took the risk.

"Dorv, can you see a different way around this area?" Sharpe asked the sergeant as he was still on the ground.

"Hmmmmm…." The asked one responded slowly and let his eye scan the walls, ground and ceiling. His eye felt on a ventilation hole. "Hold on"

Dorvalla quickly moved a crate and stepped on it. He moved the plate away that was on top of the hole and glared inside. His eyes grew big as he saw the device in front of him.

"Colonel….. I think this vent will do fine….. but…… ehmmmm…… I think I need your assistance right here, since I am looking at a ticking device that can explode any moment….."

Sharpe stoop up grabbed his defuse equipment out of his pocket. "Can you move it or is it sealed in the vent shaft?"

"I think I can move it, but I am afraid it's actually movement sensitive. There are some sensors on the side as I see it!"

Sharpe's mind worked as a race car now. Okay, so these guys weren't that stupid at all. Either Dude and Poacher had a real easy one or they gave them wrong information about the bombs. And this could be the reason why it went of when Jamal tried to defuse the bomb after the information Poacher had given him. This wasn't good. These guys knew what they were doing and probably celebrated already their victory. They took one down for the team, while we were here and trying to get to the top.

"Alright, step away Dorv, and let me check it!"

Dorvalla ducked and stepped of the crate so Sharpe could take his position. He moved up and looked at it. "Nasty bugger!" Sharpe cursed as he saw the thing. "Dorv, radio Poacher for me and ask him his 20?"

Dorvalla moved the button of his radio. "Dorvalla to Poacher, please respond!"

For a moment there was a static, then the voice of Poacher sounded through Dorvalla's ear.

"Poacher, reporting in. What can I do for you, Sarge?" The voice on the radio responded. The transition wasn't that clear as it was outside. The walls and the metal from the weapons obvious did there work as making the transmission unclear and creating static.

"What's your 20, Captain?" Dorvalla asked.

"I am moving now with Dude to the main elevator shaft. I think you are on our left, not far from here. Do you need back-up?"

Dorvalla looked up to Sharpe and he nodded. "We don't have time for defusing a bomb. Besides; if somebody can defuse a bomb, it's poacher, and not me. I failed 5 times my exam by cutting the wrong wire!"

"Yes Poacher, " Dorvalla replied to the Captain, "Your assistance is required in the smoke bomb storage. No arms here… just we need your expertise on movement sensitive bombs!"

"Roger that, be there in a minute, Poacher out!"

Sharpe stepped off the crate and took his riffle, checked it and then nodded to Dorvalla.  
"As soon as Poacher is here, we move on. We will take his route and make our way to the elevators. As spoken we climb up the stairs that are hidden in the elevator shaft, and work our way through the ventilation. I don't think they set out booby traps up there, since they are up there themselves!'

Dorvalla gave him a thumb up. No question about the judgement of Sharpe. Dorvalla preferred always followed his friend. He had a clear vision and knew exact what he needed to do in order to survive, to push through or just to defend.

Sharpe's eyes went up again to the ventilation shaft and shook his head. "I admit it, I didn't dare to touch it when I saw it!"

"It's okay, my friend!" Dorvalla answered. "I wouldn't have done it anyway. Besides, if I am in that shaft, or you are, it would have made to much noise, they could have heard us anyway!"

The door behind them went open, and Dorvalla as well Sharpe aimed their riffles at the entrance, but lowered them immediately as Dude and Poacher came in the room. Dude and Dorvalla shook hands quickly as Sharpe filled in Poacher.

"It's not a C4, to childish for that, to small as well. Dorvalla and myself have identified motion detectors on it for short distances. It is made probably that nobody can pick it up. It has to be defused as you are standing there. It's about 2 feet in the ventilation to your right side!"

"Alright Colonel! I ll see if I can defuse my little friend up there!"

"Dorvalla and me will take your route to the elevators and will climb our way up. Just let us know when you are finished here and decide what route you will take!"

"Will do," said Poacher as he laid down his gun, "Dude, you are on Patrol, Guard my life and I will guard yours!"

Dude grinned as he raised his riffle.

"Common Dorv, let's go!" Sharpe said. And with those words, the Colonel and Sergeant left the room to get a step closer to their goal: to free Silantia.

--

Dorvalla and Sharpe moved carefully through the corridor and checked every meter in front of them. It didn't felt right anymore, it was different then the usual training sessions, where they would sometimes joke in the corners and then sometimes get shot by the other teams with the laser devices on their guns. Dorvalla remembered how many times he had to sit then on the ground, mostly starting to laugh or other times, when it was more serious, cursed his opponent out.

This time it was different. No more sitting on the ground, no more jokes in the corridors, not even a word was spoken, just the hand signals Sharpe did and Dorvalla, following him on foot was nodding and did his hand signals while he checked behind them, in case some moron from a terrorist would shoot their brains out, as the Sergeant would put it out nicely.

Sharpe stopped at a corner and peeked around. It looked clear and he went in prone position. Then he moved carefully around the corner and aimed; nobody. Although … he moved his aimer to a wall and noticed a small device on the wall.

"Dorv, can you see what that on the wall is?" Sharpe whispered to his buddy, and pointed along his riffle to the wall.

Dorvalla stepped carefully over Sharpe, and crouched, moving slowly to the wall, putting on his goggles. The night vision didn't picked something up, nor he could detect something on the other side. A quick conclusion was that it wasn't a booby-trap. Dorvalla moved closer to it, making no sound at all and looked at it. Then he picked it up from the wall and held it in his hand. It was not bigger then a coin you threw in the slot machines probably, but it was something interesting.

"What is it?" Sharpe asked carefully while he kept his aim on the rest of the corridor

"A microphone!" Dorvalla responded in taps on his radio, clearly not assured he was safe by the fact he had the thing in his hand. "They are monitoring our progress by having microphones placed in the building," he continued, "well, that's the logical explanation!"

"It seems like it!" Sharpe thought as he moved to Dorvalla's position, just ahead of him.

"Should we destroy it?" Dorvalla asked in hand signal language.

Sharpe gave him a thumbs up, and Dorvalla crushed the little piece of electronics in his hand. A small crunch sound made Sharpe clear that he didn't had to worry about it and he stood up, whispering now to Dorvalla, "Okay let's go on, next time you or me see such thing, we destroy it immediately!"

"Roger that, Sir!"

Dorvalla stood up and let the small parts of the electronic device slide out of his hand on the floor, then he stepped again on top of it, to make sure it was as dead as a dodo. Then he followed Sharpe who had already moved to the next corner and peeked around it. He knew that around the next corner was the hall where the elevator was located, but he didn't wanted to take any risks.

He grabbed his scope and peeked again around the corridor. He saw a shadow moving at the end of the corridor. It had certain a human shape and Sharpe was wondering if that was Poacher, who was waiting for them there. But Sharpe gave Poacher clear orders to tell him their route and their plan. He pressed the button of his radio.

"Alpha for Bravo, what is your 20?"

"Still in the Smoke Storage, Sir!" It was Dude who was responding to Sharpe's question. Apparently Poacher had turned of his radio. Sharpe couldn't blame him. Getting distracted by a voice in your ear while you are defusing a bomb is not the ideal situation.

"Okay, " thought Sharpe, "so they aren't in their, that means that those are enemies!" Sharpe calculated what the best option was. Although the soldiers could already be informed about the broken microphone, he still thought it was a walk in the park. He tapped on Dorvalla's shoulder and moved carefully, without any sound through the corridor to the next corner.

Again he peeked with his scope and counted at least 2 enemies. "This cant be right, there are way more then 13 enemies in this building!" We have already 7 dead bodies here, 2 over there, so that means there are 4 who are upstairs?" It didn't made sense to Sharpe. They counted wrong, he was sure of it.

Dorvalla checked his riffle, as he listened to Sharpe's explanation about the count. "They need 1 in control room at least, maybe 2, to monitor our progress. We haven't passed any camera's yet but in the next area there is one!" Sharpe took a breath, "then there are at least 2 soldiers guarding Silantia. One who is controlling the units in this building and at least a boss as well who gives out order. So at minimum there should be 6 up there!"

Dorvalla nodded, "We just check then every room up there and here if they hid themselves!"

Sharpe agreed. "Okay, but for now, we have 2 enemies!"

Dorvalla smiled. "We flash, we smoke and we rush and we totally surprise them and send them to the hospital!"

Sharpe held up his hand. "If we can flash and smoke, we can kill one of them then. The other, we can take for interrogations!"

"Sounds like a plan, Colonel!" Dorvalla responded, and took from his belt a flash grenade. "I ll throw the flash bang, you the smoke!" he said to Sharpe and moved carefully around the corner.

Dorvalla knew the flash bang had a short amount of time after cocking it and exploding, mostly about 1,5 second. So he had to do it so he wouldn't flash himself or Sharpe and that the 2 terrorists were. Dorvalla sneaked up behind a crate that was placed on the other side while Sharpe moved behind the other crate, still located on the side of the corridor, so he wasn't spotted.

Dorvalla cocked the flash grenade and threw it against the wall in a position, the grenade would bounce into the room in a position, it couldn't flash the 2 soldiers, but it would the terrorists.

"BANG"

At that given sign, Sharpe threw he smoke grenade into the room, and because he cocked it already it exploded in middle ear, so the room filled up with smoke.

Suddenly Dorvalla heard a scream, something with 'grenade' in it. The next moments seemed to go in slow-motion as he heard a grenade bounce against the wall and fell on the floor right besides him. Dorvalla's eyes grew large. "Time to move" he thought, and stood immediately up, while moving back to Sharpe's position as fast as he could.

Sharpe didn't saw or heard it, nor he knew what was going on, but he noticed Dorvalla moving back. Dorvalla grabbed Sharpe and pushed him around the corner. In that move, Dorvalla tripped over a brick on the floor and felt.

At that moment the area was filled with a tremendous noise of a grenade that exploded. A High Explosive grenade, Sharpe recalled. Then heat filled up the area and surrounded Dorvalla. From the power of the explosion, he got picked up by it and the last thing Dorvalla saw was the wall, where he got smashed against…………….

Then his body felt in a weird position on the floor


	5. Intermezzo 2, Floating on Clouds

Tarik walked down the room, checking on one of the screens that were placed down in the small area. Actually, it were laptops with a WIFI connection, that made contact with each other and to the small local area network. The light of the laptops, and now Tariks flashlight were the only light sources in this room, because of the power shut down. In front of the laptops sat another man, glaring at the left screen, that jumped from time to time to a different angle from the top corridor. It seemed that Black Sun had placed down a few camera's to monitor the corridors up on the third floor, so every suspicious movement could be monitored by the man who sad in front of it, and in case of immediate threat, his boss and other men from his team could be warned.

Next to him was his headset, that he had put down as he monitored the left screen, seeing nothing more then just the long corridor, with on it's right four doors and on it's left a small area where two chairs from the offices were placed. On them, two men sad down and playing a card game, not clear which on it was.

"Ahmet, any signs of people in the building?" The man asked, when the man saluted him,

Tarik was obvious the leader of this group and gave the orders; and everybody obeyed those. His narrow eyes fixed on Ahmet, who had the monitoring job and making sure everybody was out.

"The last group left the building as was ordered by you, Tarik!" the man spoke rapidly towards his boss, "As far as I know, nobody else has entered or left the building!"

"As far as you know?" whispered Tarik towards Ahmet, whose eyes grew small. Then Tarik spoke slow and clear. "I want you to be sure!"

Ahmet nodded quickly and said for in his eyes the truth, "The building is clean of soldiers!"

Tariks lips changed and a small smile appeared. "Good, I sended down LaTonya down, she will rig up the place so we take them all down when they are planning anything!"

"But what about the lights?" Ahmet asked.

"Don't worry to much about it. The guys bring in the emergency generator. It's just as we had forseen it, Ahmet." Tarik sighted, "They are so predictable…. The will send in probably a swat team of four or five men, or they don't!"

Tarik walked away and looked through the window into the corridor, that they lit up now with torches. "Besides…. We are still having ten men up here, they think we have maybe four or five here but there is a little surprise up here then!"

"And our escape?" Ahmet asked, clearly still uncertain if the plan would work that was planned for weeks.

"Don't worry to much about that, they won't try anything as long as we have Silantia in our possession!" Tarik smiled. "Besides, why would we worry. We live always in fear, and for now I want to do it my way. If it work out, I will finally prove wrong from our leader!"

His English wasn't bad, but still the heavy Arabian accent was heard as he spoke. He tried to cover it up by speaking rapidly in English, but it didn't always work.

"Just jell when they try to make radio contact!" Tarik said to Ahmet when he turned around and walked out of the door. "So I can make my demands!"

Ahmet turned around and looked at the back of Tarik. "Can you make sure I get another coffee, boss?"

"Sure, I ll send somebody with your coffee, Ahmet!" He waved with his arm he had heard the request and walked away from the little office.

"And make sure they get here soon with the back up generator… I only have 30 minutes of power left!" Ahmet yelled after him... "Ahh never mind, I ll get it myself… Hamid.. come here… watch the screens!"

At his own magnificence he smiled and walked out the room, into the corridor. Slowly he walked down the long corridor and opened the far end door. The two guards who were guarding the door saluted their boss and let their boss just enter. They looked at each other and shrugged both at each other, wondering what their leader would want with the prisoners. They wanted to ask, but before a single word or sound could get out of their mouth, Tarik closed the door.

"Greetings all of you," he said as he scanned the faces of the three men. "Allow me to introduce myself first, "he continued after he was satisfied he had their attention. "My name is, let's say for the sake of appearance and because I will be further anonymous for you, Tarik and I am the leader of this bunch of terrorists, as you prefer to call our little group!"

He looked down on Silantia, seeing him cuffed by legs and arms, while his mouth was sealed with duct tape.

"I know you are the Commanding Officer of your squad, who tried, with pathetic results I should add, to rescue you. The result? Two of your men died and I have two extra hostages!"

He looked now down on Evilspark and 3rd, grinning. "You guys walked right into the trap we set up at the main stairs!" Then returning his attention to Silantia. "Silantia, we are both grown up men, maybe not both having allot of experience, but we know how we both should deal in a situation like this. Or you don't? Don't they teach you in training how to act when you are captured by the enemy?"

Silantia shook his head, unable to speak still. The he mumbled something, not clear though for Tarik.

Tarik leaned in a gave Silantia a slap over the face, making sure he had pain, by doing it again. "You have any idea how many men of me died?" he hissed at him

Silantia, now having a red left cheek, shrugged and mumbled something behind the tape, coming close to saying 'what do I care'.

"I ll tell you." He hissed, raising his arm, "Every men who died here in my team, every soul who gave it all for Black Sun, they died with honour, your men didn't. They died to rescue you, they sacrificed themselves for what?" He gestured to the two men on the other side of the room, who were just as tied as Silantia himself. "Two pathetic idiots who walked with eyes open into our laid out trap!"

Silantia mumbled again something, saying something like 'what are the numbers of you then who died'

"More then I thought," he said in anger, grabbing Silantia and threw him against the wall, punching him in the stomach. Silantia fell on the floor, moaning of pain behind the duct tape. "And every death, I will personally repay you when we are getting out of here!" he said as he looked to Silantia.

Tarik kicked Silantia in his stomach, then spitting in his face. As the drops of his slime rolled slowly over Silantia's face, Tarik crouched and whispered, "Welcome to the real world, where I hold the keys!"


	6. Chapter 4

Sharpe wanted to scream, when he saw his buddy picked up by the explosion and got smashed against the wall. He wanted to stop the explosion and save Dorvalla, he wanted so much in that split moment. To kill the terrorists, to save Silantia and never saw this happen, as Dorvalla got smashed against the wall and felt on the floor, crossing his legs unnaturally, laid there lifeless on the floor.

That was his mind, but he suppressed it immediately, as soon as possible. He knew he had a job to do. Dorvalla was now his secondary objective. His first one was to eliminate his opponents. He cocked another flash and threw it in the hallway against the wall and let it bounce into the main room. It exploded and Sharpe made a move. He stepped out of his hideout and moved through the corridor, where he found a guy flashed and ready to send to the hospital. The guy was obvious flashes as he stood there with his face covered in his hands, while his gun was on the ground, Sharpe didn't bother to shoot him, since he saw it as the perfect opportunity to actually take a hostage.

He grabbed his knife, moved around the terrorist and grabbed him from behind, while he pushed the edge of his knife on the throat of the terrorist.

"Hi there!" was the cold word from Sharpe towards the terrorist, "I got a newsflash for you. If my superiors don't want you, I am going to torture you to death!"

The terrorist didn't move at all but Sharpe could feel his fear. It gave him a good feeling and the Sharpe pushed him forward.

"I think my superiors would like to talk to you!"

He stepped forward and looked around the corner. As he had thought, Dorvalla hadn't moved from his position, and the Colonel decided to call for backup.

"RC-Rally, Dark-Sniper, what is your 20?"

The voice of RC-Rally sounded over the com: "We are here with Poacher, carrying out bodies…. We only have …….."

Sharpe cut him off: "Okay, new goal for you, go to the elevators. You will find Dorvalla, but it's not a fresh sight…..take him out to the hospital. Make sure a surgeon is ready….. "

"Is he injured ….. can he walk?"

"No he cant…. And hurry up… his live is at stake!" Sharpe shouted and felt angry at RC-Rally. He should done what is asked from him.

"Yes sir!" RC-Rally replied immediately, realizing it was worse then Sharpe told him now

"I have also a hostage for you," said Sharpe, as soon as he switched to the main channel, so Joop could hear him too. "You can pick him up as well and take him into custody!"

Joop sounded relieved, but when he heard that Dorvalla was down, his mood swapped from happy to unhappy and barfed a new order, sending in EvilSpark to be Sharpe's 2nd man.

Sharpe took his pistol out of his holster and hold it against the terrorist's head. He pushed the terrorist against the wall and searched him with one hand while his other hand was holding the gun against his head. He found 2 more grenades and a handgun on his body.

"Now tell me nicely," Sharpe started" where your boss is hiding my boss, and maybe we won't have to 'peform body surgery' on you!"

He obviously referred to the knife, even the terrorist knew that. Sharpe knew the guy, maybe he was just in his thirties, was terrified. He had wet his pants, seeing a darker spot around his crotch. Sharpe believed, after a brief moment observing him, that the guy probably had a bad youth and joined there for the militia from Black Sun. The guy was obviously also not a fighter nor he could handle a gun. His hands were to soft for that. Normally military hands would be dirty from the oil the gun needed to work fine. These hands where clean.

"Top Floor!" the man whispered and Sharpe pushed him again hard against the wall, and the head of the man slammed against the wall. Blood ran out of his nose and Sharpe saw it was in a weird position. It satisfied Sharpe a bit.

"Quick, over here !!"

It was the voice of RC-Rally who Sharpe heard. He grabbed the man, slammed him again against the wall, took his left hand and cuffed it. Then he took the right hand and cuffed it to the left hand, and moved back into the hallway with the gun in the back of the terrorist.

RC-Rally moved away the rubble that was on Dorvalla's body, while Dark-Sniper took over the hostage from Sharpe. Evilspark and 3rd came around the corner running now, and started helping Sharpe and RC-Rally to clear the rubble from Dorvalla. His body was a mess, everywhere was blood on his back. His face was all over scratched from stones and his arms seemed to be a bloodpit. RC-Rally grabbed the arms and Sharpe the legs and they moved him to a better position on the blanket Rally took with him.

"This is Joop," sounded through the radio and Sharpe confirmed his presence. "Field surgeon is ready. Biker has the surgery room ready!"

RC-Rally interrupted "He has no pulse, we need to reanimate him outside. It's not safe here!"

Sharpe barfed an order against 3rd and Evilspark to go ahead, and explained quickly how to get to the top floor. "I am staying with Dorvalla!" he ended his order towards the two soldiers.

They both nodded and Sharpe gave 3rd his grenade belt. Evilspark ran already ahead and cleared the area before the elevator.

Sharpe watched 3rd for a second and then moved back to RC-Rally who was grabbing the first 2 corners of the blanket. Sharpe took the other 2 points and the picked up the blanket where Dorvalla was in. They made their way outside of the building, passing Dude and Poacher who just finished disarming the bomb in the ventilation shaft.

Dude ran with them to the front door and opened it, checking the windows quick and threw a smoke grenade outside, to make sure they were covered. The area was also filled on Joop's command; White Eagle and Dee fired on the windows on top to make sure Sharpe and Rally could find their way without being targeted.

They crossed the grass field, not stopping for anything and ran to the Mobile Headquarters where Joop was. They carefully laid Dorvalla on the hospital bed what others had placed down for Dorvalla, while Joop came outside, shouting and barfing orders that somebody else should take comment. Sharpe tried the manual reanimation and pushed both hands on Dorvalla's body.

Godlike took over, while Sharpe looked down to his buddies body. His hands, covered in Dorvalla's blood, shook. He was nervous, sad and felt suddenly a tear ran over his face. More tears joined that one, and Sharpe realized he was crying. The arm of Dee rested suddenly on Sharpe's shoulder and comforted him a bit. He sniffed and whipped away his tears.

Joop pushed Godlike away and placed the electric devices on Dorvalla and shouted "Clear"

Dorvalla body jumped up, but no pulse was registrated by Joop when he checked for it. He moved the devices again to Dorvalla's chest and shouted again for a new charge.

Again Dorvalla's body jumped up in the air, but again, the pulse stayed away. Joop looked up to White Eagle and Godlike and asked them to step away. No he didn't asked them. He ordered them to move away.

They did, and Joop placed the devices again on Dorvalla's chest. Another charge went into Dorvalla's body and Joop placed again his finger on the neck of Dorvalla. He smiled suddenly and put up his thumb

"His heart is beating again …..I got a pulse…..!"

Sharpe allowed himself to smile as he looked down to the messed up body from Dorvalla. He leaned over and checked for vital signs. "Dorv, can you hear me?" he snapped his fingers, and happily he saw that Dorvalla's eyelids tried to move.

"Stabilize him!" shouted Joop as he leaned also over and snapped his fingers. "Dorvalla, can you hear me?"

Now Dorvalla opened up his left eye and he narrowed it immediately. His eye was red, but he responded to the finger Joop was holding in front of his eye, following it.

"Welcome to the real world, sarge!"

--

Bikers face told everything Joop needed to know. Dorvalla was in safe hands with the battle surgeon. Dorvalla, still laying on the blanket that was placed on a hospital bed, was carried into an military ambulance and an infuse was placed immediately into his arm, pumping blood with blood type B into his arm, while two other doctors started cleaning the wounds and closing them.

"First impression," started Biker, talking to Joop, it looks bad, but I think we can fix him up!"

Joop nodded and sighted, maybe it was relief, maybe it was the fact that this was not a lucky operation at all. But he knew also that every victory came with casualties. He just hoped he had just these two… well three if you counted the state where Obrien was in now. Obrien needed help as well. The wounds on Obrien could be treated, but his psychical state where he was in, was untreatable on the field.

An army Jeep stopped in front of the Mobile Command centre and a man stepped out. His stars and his stripes indicated that this man was a high ranked officer, and Joop couldn't do else then to salute the man.

"General Vision!" Joop said as the man nodded he could stop saluting. "We have a crisis over here!"

Visions face was grim, but understanding. He nodded as Joop explained what happened in the last 15 minutes. He talked about the death of Jamal, nodding to the body bag, that was laying on the floor above 20 feet away from him. Also he lit up the subject of Obrien's state. The lad was sitting on the floor, next to the truck, mumbling just words into the sky. He also talked about Dorvalla's escape of death, as he made a move with his arm to the military ambulance, that just drove away. The positive news was that they had a prisoner, that could be used to get information, regarding Black Sun.

They walked to the tactical board and Joop started to explain the details to Vision, who hardly said a word and just listened. Then he leaned over the board and started to adjust marks and worked with Joop through a new tactic

Sharpe had sat down after the ambulance left the place. He felt angry, helpless, mad, happy and empty at the same time. His mind was puzzling how to go further from here. He needed to get all his emotions out of his system, so he closed his eyes for a minute and let all the recent events work on him. Dorvalla's 'minutes out', the capture of this terrorist and Silantia who …. Damn…. He totally forgot about the subject at hand. Silantia was still inside that building. Captured or maybe dead… he couldn't let his mentor just there. Sharpe opened his eyes and looked around.

"Joop!" shouted Sharpe and waited for response from the man who was in charge of this operation. Where was Joop when you needed him?

"Yes?" Joop looked up from the tactical board while he was positioning and marking off people on the board. His glaze went to Sharpe and immediately he knew what was playing on Sharpe's mind.

"You are not going alone!" was Joop's answer and his eyes went quick to the operation board. He saw Jamal's name with a stripe through it, OBrien was in shock and sat in a corner on the floor, mumbling to nobody.

"Take Backstabber!" Joop replied to Sharpe without looking away from the board and he cocked his head.

Sharpe saluted quickly, but Joop didn't even see it. His face was still dead serious. Sharpe turned around, but Backstabber was already there. He saluted Sharpe, pulled the safety pall from his rifle and replied softly "On your command, Sir!"

Sharpe nodded, picked up the M4A1 from the floor and looked back to Backstabber. Then they started to move back towards the door

"Sharpe?" Joop said, and Sharpe turned around, questioning. "Get the son of a b!tch who did this and you lead the interrogation on your prisoner!"

Sharpe flashed a grin over his face, although there was nothing to laugh at this moment. Dorvalla was still in danger and was on his way to the hospital. Jamal was gone, Obrien would end up in a psychiatric institution and it was not even over yet. But Joop knew Sharpe to well and knew he would love to interrogate his own prisoner, just to beat him up or play the mind game on him.

"Come on Backstabber!" Sharpe said and turned on his radio again, "If we pull this off, you 'll be rewarded in beer, my friend!"

Backstabber nodded, but his face had no expression, pure concentration. He gave Sharpe a wink and started running, towards the far door Dorvalla and Sharpe used to enter the building. There was no need to evade bullets, like Sharpe and Dorvalla did earlier, since there were no bullets that flew around their ears.

Backstabber pushed the door open and moved inside, making sure nobody would have slipped behind the door and Sharpe followed his partner. He lowered his goggles and moved on, passed the crates of grenades and looked to the closed door. Backstabber had the thumbs up and Sharpe pushed in one time the door open. No gunshot was heard, nor an other noise in that room.

"Clear!" said Sharpe softly into his microphone and Backstabber moved in. Checking on the left side and on the right side, while Sharpe walked to the door on the right of him. Behind this door was the area were he took his prisoner. Sharpe didn't care and pushed the door open.

As he expected, the area was empty, but Sharpe felt the need to shoot a few bullets. They left the barrel of his riffle and ended their journey into the wall, next to the elevator, not hitting anything else the bricks. Backstabber stepped through the door as well and looked to the black mark on the floor, indicating that the flash, that Sharpe threw about 10 minutes ago, landed there.

Backstabber walked passed Sharpe and checked the side corridor. The corridor floor was covered in rubble; pieces of plaster that had come of from the ceiling and dust. On the place where Dorvalla's body was, were now allot of blood marks. They made an imprint on the floor where his body had been. The blood had mostly dried up already on the floor, but there were some marks that weren't dried up. Dust had land on it and the royal red collar had turned brownish.

Backstabber swallowed and walked back to Sharpe who's eyes were focused on the elevator doors.

"Let's go, Backstabber, we will go through the ladder that is in the shaft!"

--

Sharpe pushed open the doors and placed an iron barrel between the doors. He leaned over the barrel and looked down. The shaft went lower then this floor, into the basement, but due to reconstruction, it wasn't possible to get in the basement by just taking the elevator. Backstabber knew this but still had a weird feeling that they could be in the basement. Or at least a few hiding there. He leaped forward and grabbed the ladder and pointed down. He carefully stepped down after Sharpe threw a smoke grenade, which filled the area with a bang and allot of smoke.

After Backstabber was down, he beeped twice on his radio, to give Sharpe a go. Sharpe followed the example Backstabber gave him and slid down the ladder, to end up in an area full of smoke. He lowered his heat goggles and inspected the room in front of the elevator. He could easily do this, because the elevator doors were open to his surprise. Nobody was seen on his heat goggles, only the hot pipes that went to the boiler room were an indication of heat in the cold basement.

It was cold indeed down here. Because the fall just started here, the outside temperature had dropped to about 10 degrees Celsius and under the soil it was off course much colder, especially when it was at nights almost at a freezing point.

Sharpe crouched and aimed his riffle to make cover Backstabber, who was now in the area and checked around. He detected footprints on the floor. Because nobody had been here for a month, the dust on the floor had the same effect as snow when you stepped on it. It left a nice footprint. Backstabber crouched next to it and checked it. Fresh it was indeed, not older then maybe 15 minutes, since where the print had been it had left also some water, probably from the dew that had been here this morning. The water from the grass had been on the boot and from that, it left an imprint on the floor.

The footprint was leading away from the elevator, meaning, there was somebody down here, since there was no print leading back to the elevator, and since that was, due to safety protocol, the only way into the basement, the person who left this print, had to be still in here. With that in his mind, Sharpe scanned the area with eyes. In deep silence Backstabber listened for any noise, any specific sound that could indicate on a human down here.

Sharpe stepped out of the shaft and tapped on his radio.

"We are in the basement, Joop! There is a trial here that leads to a possible enemy!"

Joop confirmed it. He was obviously back at his position. When Sharpe and Backstabber had left the Mobile Headquarters and communication centre, Method had taken seat of the communication chair and was guiding Dude and Poacher through the building, as well Spark and 3rd.

Backstabber pointed to the boiler room.

"He must be in the boiler room. This way he can hide his body heat from our heat goggles, since the boilers are on!"

Sharpe knew Backstabber was right. Hiding in a room where it was even hotter then your own body temperature was an old trick. Even with heat goggles, they would have a hard time finding the person down here in that room.

"We can throw flashes inside…." suggested Backstabber.

".. or we can cut the power and use our night goggles…." Sharpe replied

Backstabber cocked his head to the left.

"The flashes would be probably a waste of grenades.." Sharpe continued, "He could be hiding behind the boilers or the crates that are in that room!"

Backstabber nodded in understanding. "So where is the power switch?"

Sharpe thought for a second. He actually didn't knew either. It couldn't be in the boiler room, damp, which was water in the end, and electricity wouldn't go well together, so it needed to be somewhere else. Sharpe decided to ask the man from higher hand who had the drawings.

"Joop, do you know where the power switch of the building is? We need to cut the power in the boiler room!"

"Let me check!" was the reply from the man in communications chair. He moved the microphone away and called for Method to grab the architectural drawings from the warehouse. A noise of crisping paper was heard and Sharpe kept listening while Backstabber kept his aim on the boiler room door.

"The entry point of the power into the building is actually on the first floor, " started Joop off. The power conduct where it spreads out the power over the building is near Shipping and Receiving. You go up the stairs there, and straight ahead, just left of the West-Offices!"

"The grey door," mumbled Backstabber.

"Exactly, Captain!" replied Joop

Sharpe's mind dwelled away and was thinking over the options. Leaving here now to shut down the power wasn't the best idea. Besides wasn't that where Jamal got blown into tiny bits? Sharpe didn't want to ask it, but decided he had no choice.

"Can you give me Obrien, please?"

"I am sorry, Colonel, Obrien is now being escorted out by Dark-Sniper and brought to a safer and quiet place, so he can come to himself. We figured, having guns around him and expose him to gunshot sounds isn't the best situation for him!"

"Damn…"

Sharpe felt the need to scream, but controlled his emotion. Maybe Sparky and 3rd were close enough to make a small detour to that room to shut down power to the basement.

"Spark, what is your 20?" Sharpe barked into the microphone after adjusting the channel.

Nothing but static, so Sharpe, who frowned now, tried again.

"Spark, what is your 20?"

Again, nothing but static. It was like his radio was dead, but Sharpe didn't believe it. These radio's could go on for hours and they were just taken out of their battery charges when they started the operation.

"Sharpe to EvilSpark, do you copy?"

Nothing…….

Damn, why was Spark not answering his radio. He needed Sparks assistance in this one. Spark was maybe on the first floor, and could be a great help in this situation. Maybe his radio was dead, so he switched channel and tried for Poacher.

"This is Sharpe, calling in for Captain Poacher, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Colonel!" was the response 2 seconds later.

"Can you get a hold of Spark and 3rd?" Sharpe asked and waited for response.

"10-4, Colonel!" was Poachers reply, and the Captain switched over to a different channel, marking the static pop he heard after Poacher had responded to him.

Sharpe switched over to Sparky's channel and listened to Poachers voice, hailing for Sparky to respond. Sharpe sighted and hoped Joop heard this. This was a bad sign. Not responding the radio was basically a sign of being captured, or worse, dead. Sharpe didn't liked the sound of this static he heard constantly.

Backstabber switched channel and asked Joop for advice, and Joop was immediately heard on Sparks channel.

"EvilSpark, 3rd, respond!" the voice from Joop sounded over the air into the earplugs of Sharpe. "This is command, respond to my call, EvilSpark!"

Nothing but silence….or ….

"Command? …. Are you the one in charge?"

Sharpe frowned, as well Backstabber did, as he heard the voice. It was an unknown voice, with a really thick accent. Sharpe placed the accent somewhere to the Middle East.

"Yes," Joop responded, hesitating if he should respond to the radio call of this man.

"Okay!" sounded it after a second, "Tell your men to leave this building, RIGHT NOW, or else the persons you call … " it was quiet for a sec and you could hear mumbling in the back, " … EvilSpark and 3rd will have their brains splattered over the wall right here! So leave NOW or your hands will be covered in their blood!"

Sharpe sighted deep…. This wasn't his lucky day after all….


	7. Chapter 5

"Stand by, please" Joop replied into his microphone and leaned back, sighted deep and closed his eyes for a second.

He bit on his lower lip. How was this possible. He had send in his best men, but two of them got captured. He looked around, and saw Visions worried face expression. He had the headset still on, but it seemed he wasn't listening to it. His thoughts were dwelling somewhere else. Probably at the reports he had to send to Mavrick, Spoofer, Tatooed or even Darkstar. What would they have to say about the handling of the general. He had to say that they lost 1 man in combat, 1 got pulled away in front of the door of heaven, 1 has a severe combat trauma, 2 men got captured and used as hostages, and they still didn't had their Commanding Officer out of the Weapons Cache.

He looked back and saw Joop looking to him, questioning what to do. He swallowed for a second and wanted to press the button to speak, but Method put his hand over the button.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

Vision nodded. He was out of ideas, and it seemed Joop didn't had one either.

"Now, we just have send in Sharpe with Backstabber. Sharpe is a superior officer. His radio has more frequencies, the Sparks, right?"

Joop nodded.

"Can't we not just get everybody out of there, except for Sharpe and Backstabber, and let them do the job?" continued Method, looking to Vision, "The possibility exists, that they don't know that Sharpe and Backstabber are inside!"

Vision hesitated. "We cant afford to lose more men right now!"

"But if we don't do anything now, they will get killed, " jumped Joop in, convinced by the reasoning from Method, "They haven't reported sight to sight, only that there is somebody in the basement, because they found footprints!"

Vision nodded, sighted deep and confirmed.

"Let's do it!"

It didn't sounded too convincing, but he had no choice. He had no leg to stand on. He could choose for a dead CO and 2 soldiers, or for maybe all of them alive. Besides he knew Black Sun was well trained, and he knew they would kill them, no matter what. These guys were not people to mess around with and make deals with, they would stab you in the back, the moment you would turn around.

Joop pressed in the button and spoke to the man again

"Alright, we will give the command to abort the mission!"

Joop swallowed as he could hear the man replying. The man sounded relaxed, as he knew what Joop had chosen.

"Excellent, you made the right choice, my friend!" Joop could hear a slight sarcasm in the words, "We will make sure your friends in here will get out nice and easy, while I keep 3rd and EvilSpark in here, they will be, aswell as your Commanding Officer, in safe hands, unless you don't do what we tell you to do!"

He obviously swapped to an other channel and waited for the order, because the could hear the static pop.

Joop nodded to Vision and gave him a go.

"This is General Vision," Vision spoke into his microphone, and everybody seemed to hear him, "Joop and I have decided we are all going to abort the mission, please everybody note that we work on an Alpha Zeta Protocol, so please make your ways to your exits!"

Joop nodded, and switched to the 369 channel on his radio, and waited till he heard the static pop that would confirm that Sharpe was on this channel

"Clever done, Vision!" sounded the voice from Sharpe through the headsets of Joop and Vision. "But still we need to get the power cut off!"

Method stuck up his thumb, saying that Poacher and Dude had aborted their mission and would leave the building. Vision looked satisfied back to Method and gestured to Joop, who grabbed the plans again.

"What we can do, Colonel," started Joop, " is pretty simple. We can cut the power from the transistor and spread out point, but that's in the lower valley. I can send somebody down to that for you…."

"….Or I could phone ahead and make sure someone from another division do that job, who is closer!" added Vision

"Anyway…" continued the stand-in Commanding Officer, "when ever they done that, the whole building will be without of power, so in darkness, you are depending on the night and heat vision, and off course, your ears!"

"and nose…" said RC-Rally, "…. they are smelly!" he added when Joop frowned.

A smile slide over Visions face, realizing these men wouldn't even lay down a fight and would continue till the fat lady would have sang. He wondered immediately when this nightmare, cause that was quite the expression for this situation, would be over.

"10-4.. " sounded Sharpes voice through the earpieces of Joop and Vision. "We will wait till the power gets shutdown, in the mean time, I want to have a radio silence, in case they can hear us. You know that there might be still one in the basement!"

Joop confirmed Sharpe's request and initiated the radio silence on this channel. Vision grabbed his cell-phone and selected from the speed dial a number, that seemed to be noted with the name 'WitwenMarcher'

"D.O.D. Source, Witwen speaking!" was a voice a few seconds later that sounded through the area. Vision figured out that this might be a way so Joop, Method and RC-Rally could listen as well.

"Witwen, this is Vision!" replied the General of the Army through his phone and didn't wait till Witwen would respond, "We are kinda in the middle of a major issue, and we need your help, well more your divisions help!"

It was no question, it was a demand.

"You see," continued Vision, without hesitation, "AA is in a tight position. Silantia has been taken hostage and as well two of the men that were send in. We have a special need from you!"

For the first time, WitwenMarcher could respond to Vision, "What do you need, General?"

His german accent overruled his English a bit, but Vision seemed to be used to it, where RC-Rally and Method had problems understanding it. Joop had from origin German blood, so he could understand it pretty easy.

"We need you to shutdown the power for Weapons Cache number 4!"

"Roger that, General," WitwenMarcher replied, "It will be done within 5 minutes!"

With a small smile on his face he confirmed and pressed the end-call button. Let the waiting game begin.

--

Sharpe looked down to the floor while he kept listening for any suspicious sound. The only sound he heard were the water drops that fell from the cold pipes on the floor, while the other sound he heard was Backstabber, checking his riffle for any possible dirt that could have come into the trigger mechanism. An other thing they heard was the squeaking of a mouse, running over the floor between the empty crates in the basement. Since the basement wasn't used everything from the basement was transferred to another place in the compound.

Sharpe studied the footprint and decided to make a photo of it with his digital camera. A smile fell over his face if he heard Silantia saying 'that it wasn't a fieldtrip like they had in class' and there was never time to make pictures of the battlefront. Sharpe was more of evidence and every trace could lead them more to the terrorists hide-out.

His cam bleeped as it went on and Backstabber shifted his attention from his riffle and looked to Sharpe who aimed the lens of the camera on the foot imprint and shot the picture. A small flare lighten up the basement for a sec and then the sight returned back to normal. Sharpe checked the picture and found himself happy about the shot. He thought back for a second to old times with people he knew from long ago how they did training sessions through this area.

He shifted his sight to a ventilation shaft, not big enough to put a human in it, but still, it was there. It was on the wall, about the same height as his eyes. All the time it was out of sight so Sharpe, still suspicious as he was, walked to the wall and approached the ventilation shaft out of sight of any possible danger. He pulled the plug and realized how it easy it went. Normally it could have been hard since nobody used the area. Besides of that, the area was realative cold and wet so at least there should have been rust. But again, there was non on the pen.

Sharpe pulled open the vent and looked inside, trials of little wheels were shown in the dust that was normally in the vent. Like a little car would have been in it. Sharpe recalled the ventilations cleaning devices, but none had wheels, they were like tubes, like it was used on a vacuum cleaner.

Sharpe gestured for Backstabber, who came immediately.

"Look at this," he whispered as he pointed to the trails.

"How do these trials come here? They don't look to old!" said Backstabber with a low voice, as he went with his finger in the vent, looking how much dust there was in it. Since there hadn't been cleaned for a while in the basement; everything was dusty, even the ventilation areas in the basement, although ventilation areas should be dusty. That was Backstabbers conclusion about dust and basements.

Sharpe shrugged and kept looking. He grabbed his little flashlight and looked into the shaft that went to the left. He stuck his head through it and looked, but nothing was there. He pulled himself out of it and then rotated his view to the right, but again, he saw nothing but an empty shaft, with some spider web.

"That's a issue we have to deal with later," as he pulled himself out of the ventilation shaft and closed it off again by placing the vent roster in front of the ventilation shaft.

Backstabber walked back to his position and laid his ear on the door, listening for any sounds that could come from the boiler room. The ever humming sound from the boilers were the only noises that came from the boiler room and Backstabber stepped back again, letting Sharpe listen to the humming, but his superior couldn't detect any other sounds.

"This is Joop," sounded it through the ears of the 2 soldiers, "WitwenMarchers men are standby to cut power. They will be doing it on your command!"

Sharpe moved to a corner and talked softly in the microphone, that hang in front of his mouth now.

"Roger that, we will take positions right now!"

Sharpe stood up and checked his riffle once again, not to make sure he had a jam or any other problem with his riffle. Then he looked to Backstabber, to see if he was ready. Backstabber did all his routine before entering a new room as he grabbed a flash bang from his belt, after he checked up his riffle.

Sharpe positioned himself next to the door of the boiler room and waited for a few seconds, in order to make sure he was ready. Adrenaline was running through his body. Obviously more then normal. He lowered his night vision goggles and waited till Backstabber did the same.

After the thumbs-up from Backstabber, he pressed in the button of his radio

"Colonel Sharpe reporting in, ready to clear the basement!"

"On your mark, Colonel!" said Joop, "Vision will send through your command to Witwen!"

Sharpe nodded, but to who, he actually didn't know. Sharpe looked again to Backstabber, and tapped again in the radio-button

"Power off in …."

"10…"

" 9…"

" 8…"

" 7…"

" 6…"

" 5…"

" 4…"

" 3…"

" 2…"

" 1…"

Backstabber cooked his flash bang and Sharpe pushed open the door

"Now…." Sharpe commanded into the microphone and let the button go from his radio.

Backstabber threw in the flash bang and it felt on the floor. A bang was heard as Sharpe closed quickly the door and at that moment the lights went off.

Sharpe pushed the door with power open, and moved inside. Due to the steam, his visibility was poor, but he was certain he saw something moving in the back. Sharpe aimed … and fired …….

--

Sharpe pulled the trigger and a blow of heat struck his face as the bullet left the barrel from the m40. The bullet shot away into the darkness of the boiler room. A scream was heard for a moment and then a body hitting the ground was heard.

Sharpe looked to Backstabber, who grabbed from his belt a flare, pulled the string and lit the area up. He moved inside, while Sharpe covered him, and threw the flare all the way to the back. The iron kettles reflected the light and the area was filled with a dim green light that got a bit dimmed from it's original brightness by the steam of the boilers.

Sharpe moved inside, with his night vision goggles down, and aimed quickly to his right, not expecting anything, but still securing the position. Backstabber followed his example and walked in too. Sharpe pointed to his right and Backstabber moved to the right, while Sharpe took the left side of the boilers.

The secured the area according the way Poacher had learned them. In a quick swift move the front area was cleared, as the flare gave away some extra light. Backstabber moved to the back and leaned in behind the last boiler, detecting a body on the floor, but obvius not dead, since he, or rather she, was moving her hand over the floor, while the other covered the wound Sharpes bullet had made in her body, just above her right breast. Backstabber grinned and crouched, moving the AK-47 away from her body. Then pointing his own riffle to her and looked to her as she crawled terrified to the corner.

"One scream, and you are dead!" he hissed to her and pointed his riffle straight at her head.

"Please don't kill me" she almost cried out

Typical the first question of a civilian. Meaning this girl was actually not a trained to be a spreading-death terrorist.

"Sharpe, one alive here!" he said and Sharpe came around the corner, looking down on the girl.

"She is hardly 19!" Sharpe said as he looked to the face of the girl. He could see the childlike eyes, the fine lines in her face, the make up she was wearing under the dark lines of mud. Sharpe stepped around Backstabber and picked her up, putting her against the wall and checked her for weapons.

Instead of that, he found something else. He found a small plastic device with an antenna on it: a detonator!

"Seems the lady here aint that innocent!" Backstabber mumbled and shrugged at Sharpe.

"Where are the explosives?" Sharpe knew the answer from that question actually at the moment he was asking that. He looked around the room with his night vision on and detected under the 4 boilers that were in the room a small package. He guessed it was C4 and the detonator was the key that had to initiate the entire chain of explosives.

No words came out of her mouth, just a soft cry as tears felt on the ground. She sniffled and Sharpe saw no reason to interrogate her further. He wouldn't get any senseless word out from her, but he wasn't sure right now if she was any threat to him. She had placed down the explosives alright, but he had the feeling she was forced to do it.

Sharpe kneeled down next to the first explosive and cut open with his knife the duct tape around the explosives. It was indeed wired with a remote. No timer. It had a frequency receiver, and Sharpe believed that there was not one, but more then one detonator. This was a simple conclusion, because you wouldn't send a delivery girl down with the only detonator.

Sharpe looked to the wires. He actually smiled. This was made by amateurs. The didn't build in a booby-trap or what so ever to make it explode when you actually cut the wires. He took his little scissor and cut the blue wire, making sure it couldn't explode anymore.

He moved on to the next package and followed the same procedure, while Backstabber, now feeling more relieved because Sharpe didn't made any mistakes, kept his gun aimed at the girl. He listened to her as she was still sniffing. Backstabber almost felt sorry for her, but he was off course aware that she was the enemy.

"Who are you?" she finally said, still sniffing and trying to cover her tears that still rolled in big drops over her face

"The boogie-man, sneaking in the dark and making lives of terrorists miserable!" Backstabber answered, sounding cold as ice.

She made herself as small as possible in the corner and looked terrified to Backstabber.

Sharpe had reached in the mean time the last package and cut the last blue wire, so that there was no threat for now in the basement. He stepped up and walked back.

"What are we doing with her?" Backstabber asked as he looked to Sharpe when his partner stepped back into the view range of Backstabber.

Sharpe thought for a second and looked at her. She was easy to crack during interrogations, but he wondered if they would get anything senseless from her. Sharpe was well known for his interrogations. Together with Dorvalla he could crack any bad guy. That was well known on the base. With Sharpe being edgy and Dorvalla being pushy and still kind, and off course with his knowledge of the human instinct and personalities, they could even crack probably the most worst case scenario villains who never talked.

"Tape her up, tie her and make sure she cant say a word or move. We will come down later when we got what we need and take her in custody. We cant send somebody down now since of the rules they set, and since she isn't high in the food chain in this organisation, she isn't much of a trade!"

Sharpe hoped his reasoning was right about high in the food chain and about her being the delivery girl.

Backstabber took 2 cuffs out of his backpack and placed one set of cuffs on her arms and the other set on her legs, so moving was hard to do, then he took a piece of rope he found in the room and bound the legs and arms together, so even rolling wasn't possible. He already had put a piece of paper in her mouth and used a bit of duct tape to cover her mouth, so she couldn't spit it out.

"Sorry, " Backstabber said as he pushed her in the corner. She struggled for a second, but realized then there was no hope for now to come free.

Backstabber stepped out of the room, so did Sharpe and closed the door.

"Let's get the bastards now!" Sharpe said and walked back to the elevator.


	8. Intermezzo 3, Run for the Boogy man

Tarik walked down the room, checking on one of the screens that were placed down in the small area. Actually, it were laptops with a WIFI connection, that made contact with each other and to the small local area network. The light of the laptops, and now Tariks flashlight were the only light sources in this room, because of the power shut down. In front of the laptops sat another man, glaring at the left screen, that jumped from time to time to a different angle from the top corridor. It seemed that Black Sun had placed down a few camera's to monitor the corridors up on the third floor, so every suspicious movement could be monitored by the man who sad in front of it, and in case of immediate threat, his boss and other men from his team could be warned.

Next to him was his headset, that he had put down as he monitored the left screen, seeing nothing more then just the long corridor, with on it's right four doors and on it's left a small area where two chairs from the offices were placed. On them, two men sad down and playing a card game, not clear which on it was.

"Ahmet, any signs of people in the building?" The man asked, when the man saluted him,

Tarik was obvious the leader of this group and gave the orders; and everybody obeyed those. His narrow eyes fixed on Ahmet, who had the monitoring job and making sure everybody was out.

"The last group left the building as was ordered by you, Tarik!" the man spoke rapidly towards his boss, "As far as I know, nobody else has entered or left the building!"

"As far as you know?" whispered Tarik towards Ahmet, whose eyes grew small. Then Tarik spoke slow and clear. "I want you to be sure!"

Ahmet nodded quickly and said for in his eyes the truth, "The building is clean of soldiers!"

Tariks lips changed and a small smile appeared. "Good, I sended down LaTonya down, she will rig up the place so we take them all down when they are planning anything!"

"But what about the lights?" Ahmet asked.

"Don't worry to much about it. The guys bring in the emergency generator. It's just as we had forseen it, Ahmet." Tarik sighted, "They are so predictable…. The will send in probably a swat team of four or five men, or they don't!"

Tarik walked away and looked through the window into the corridor, that they lit up now with torches. "Besides…. We are still having ten men up here, they think we have maybe four or five here but there is a little surprise up here then!"

"And our escape?" Ahmet asked, clearly still uncertain if the plan would work that was planned for weeks.

"Don't worry to much about that, they won't try anything as long as we have Silantia in our possession!" Tarik smiled. "Besides, why would we worry. We live always in fear, and for now I want to do it my way. If it work out, I will finally prove wrong from our leader!"

His English wasn't bad, but still the heavy Arabian accent was heard as he spoke. He tried to cover it up by speaking rapidly in English, but it didn't always work.

"Just jell when they try to make radio contact!" Tarik said to Ahmet when he turned around and walked out of the door. "So I can make my demands!"

Ahmet turned around and looked at the back of Tarik. "Can you make sure I get another coffee, boss?"

"Sure, I ll send somebody with your coffee, Ahmet!" He waved with his arm he had heard the request and walked away from the little office.

"And make sure they get here soon with the back up generator… I only have 30 minutes of power left!" Ahmet yelled after him... "Ahh never mind, I ll get it myself… Hamid.. come here… watch the screens!"

At his own magnificence he smiled and walked out the room, into the corridor. Slowly he walked down the long corridor and opened the far end door. The two guards who were guarding the door saluted their boss and let their boss just enter. They looked at each other and shrugged both at each other, wondering what their leader would want with the prisoners. They wanted to ask, but before a single word or sound could get out of their mouth, Tarik closed the door.

"Greetings all of you," he said as he scanned the faces of the three men. "Allow me to introduce myself first, "he continued after he was satisfied he had their attention. "My name is, let's say for the sake of appearance and because I will be further anonymous for you, Tarik and I am the leader of this bunch of terrorists, as you prefer to call our little group!"

He looked down on Silantia, seeing him cuffed by legs and arms, while his mouth was sealed with duct tape.

"I know you are the Commanding Officer of your squad, who tried, with pathetic results I should add, to rescue you. The result? Two of your men died and I have two extra hostages!"

He looked now down on Evilspark and 3rd, grinning. "You guys walked right into the trap we set up at the main stairs!" Then returning his attention to Silantia. "Silantia, we are both grown up men, maybe not both having allot of experience, but we know how we both should deal in a situation like this. Or you don't? Don't they teach you in training how to act when you are captured by the enemy?"

Silantia shook his head, unable to speak still. The he mumbled something, not clear though for Tarik.

Tarik leaned in a gave Silantia a slap over the face, making sure he had pain, by doing it again. "You have any idea how many men of me died?" he hissed at him

Silantia, now having a red left cheek, shrugged and mumbled something behind the tape, coming close to saying 'what do I care'.

"I ll tell you." He hissed, raising his arm, "Every men who died here in my team, every soul who gave it all for Black Sun, they died with honour, your men didn't. They died to rescue you, they sacrificed themselves for what?" He gestured to the two men on the other side of the room, who were just as tied as Silantia himself. "Two pathetic idiots who walked with eyes open into our laid out trap!"

Silantia mumbled again something, saying something like 'what are the numbers of you then who died'

"More then I thought," he said in anger, grabbing Silantia and threw him against the wall, punching him in the stomach. Silantia fell on the floor, moaning of pain behind the duct tape. "And every death, I will personally repay you when we are getting out of here!" he said as he looked to Silantia.

Tarik kicked Silantia in his stomach, then spitting in his face. As the drops of his slime rolled slowly over Silantia's face, Tarik crouched and whispered, "Welcome to the real world, where I hold the keys!"


	9. Chapter 6

Sharpe looked up in the shaft and decided, after making sure the shaft was as empty as the can of Diet Pepsi he had earlier that day, it was safe enough to climb up. Slowly, without making noise, he climbed gently up the ladder. The shaft was dark, but still there was enough light emitting through the door that was opened on the first floor. Above that, the elevator, that was stuck, stopped the light. The other elevator doors were closed, and Sharpe was positive that the Black Sun didn't check the ladder that was hidden in the shaft. Although the girl had used it, they were now convinced that there was nobody else, but them, in the building.

Sharpe and backstabber climbed up really slow, making sure not to make any sound. It wasn't that tricky in the shaft. The ventilation was harder, because every move could be heard in the building. The ventilation shafts all were connected in some way, what made it hard to make a sound without somebody could hear it in the building. But the ventilations had also their advantage, you could get at places where actually you couldn't come by stairs. There was an extra floor on top of the third floor, that only could be reached by using the ventilation shafts. On that floor was actually nothing, maybe a few boxes. There used to be a stair leading to it, but they removed that stair when the building was reconstructed to a weapons cache. This building used to be, before there was actually a military base build around it, an industrial development office, where was experimented with chemicals to make actually a stronger plastic. That was what Sharpe heard at least when he came on the base, a long time ago.

Now to think of it; Sharpe was one of the oldest members in this division. Only Dorvalla and Poacher were longer around in the division. Poacher probably the longest. He wasn't sure if Dorvalla and Poacher joined the same time, but he knew they both were off and on on the base. Dorvalla used to be a diplomatic officer for the base, while Poacher was an elite soldier for the country and let an amazingly specialised team. Next to that, Poacher was one of the best bomb diffusers of the country and the best from the base.

Sharpe stopped on one of the sports and leaned to the side, glaring in the ventilation shaft. He saw nothing but wasn't sure about the safety of him and Backstabber in it. He took his flashlight and turned it on, aiming the light beam into the shaft and glared then in it. It seemed clear now till the end of the shaft, where the pipes turned left and right. He turned the beam off and switched on his night vision. Then he grabbed with one hand the ledge of the concrete structure. He moved his other hand next to it and slipped of the ladder, dangling for a second in the shaft. He gained for a moment some strength and then pulled himself up, climbing on the concrete ledge. He secured quickly again the shaft, making sure nobody was there, even listening to breathing, but it was clear. Then he slid slowly into the ventilation shaft after giving backstabber the 'go' signal.

Backstabber followed Sharpe's example and copied the movements, making sure he did it without a sound. Every minuscule sound could be heard by someone. They had the cover that there were some mice in the building, but to much noise could blew the cover, so they did everything as quiet as possible.

When Backstabber was in the vent as well, he looked to Sharpe, who moved himself, laying on his stomach, already to the end of the shaft. He peeked around and saw it was clear. At the Backstabber crouched and stepped in great concentration through the vent, making as little noise as possible. Sharpe pushed himself forward without any noise, looking to the light that was emitted from below. It was the first obstacle as they were in the vent. The ventilation shaft went in U-forms over the third floor, and in every room was a hatch that led from the ventilation towards the room. In the main corridor were little rosters placed so the air of the outside could ventilate the area.

"Light?" Sharpe wondered as he knew there was no light. There shouldn't have been any lights on. The power was shut down, so no light could been on. Unless….

He moved closer to the roster and looked down, seeing the corridor. With one hand up, he warned Backstabber to stop moving, and the one who was the signal for, stopped at he comment of Sharpe.

Sharpe looked into the corridor and saw a guard patrolling up and down as well there was talking and laughing. Sharpe counted at least already four voices, but considered them now not important. Their primary goal was know to find Silantia and free him, as well to find Evilspark and 3rd.

Sharpe waited till the guard came back and in the move he stepped away, he slid his body over the roster, making sure he didn't make any noise. All went clean as no noise was made by him and he moved further, crawling on his stomach through the shaft. Backstabber, still behind him saw Sharpe moving and decided that was his cue to move. He gently moved crouching through the shaft and looked down in the corridor. The man who was patrolling used the beam of his flashlight to lit up the corridor and looked from time to time up, indicating the light beam from time to time in the shaft. Backstabber waited till he had beamed up in the ventilation shaft and he moved after that over the roster.

As he moved over, Sharpe already had reached the next corner of the ventilation shaft and crawled around it, having his goggles still down, since it was to dark to see with the normal eye. A mouse in front of him, looking apparently for food, looked up at him, scared as hell, and made his move by tripping as a maniac through the shaft, making it ticking.

Apparently the sound of the mouse was noticed since Sharpe could hear somebody grunting and a chair moving. Sharpe crawled back around the corner and waited. He heard the hatch been opened and some grunting again, as somebody was climbing up a chair. A beam of light went into the ventilation and suddenly a mans voice started laughing.

"Ah you little bugger," the man laughed, "you scared the crap out of me for a second!"

The man was obvious talking to the mouse who was running down the shaft. Sharpe exhaled as he heard the man closing the hatch again and stepping of the chair. And he heard the man mumbling something. Suddenly the music went on and Sharpe knew it was safe.

Backstabber who had approached Sharpe from behind, tapped Sharpe on the legs and Sharpe shifted his sight towards the man. Sharpe stuck up 1 finger and crossed his arms twice. Backstabber nodded and Sharpe crawled forward without making any noise and looked down. The man was leaning in his chair, watching the laptop screens. He seemed to be into the screen again, that was, from Sharpe's position, hard to see. Because of the music that was playing, some piece Sharpe rather not listened too, it was clear to actually make a little noise. He went from prone into crouch position and waited for Backstabber, who came behind him.

Sharpe opened the hatch and glared again down, seeing the man was totally into his screen, focussed on every movement..

Sharpe lowered himself without noise into the room. Because of the shadows were facing to the other wall, it couldn't be noticed Sharpe got in the room without a sound. As he fell the last two feet, he crouched and landed without a noise on the floor. There was sound, but wasn't really noticed because of the music that was on in the room. He actually practised that move allot of time while on the obstacle course. Trying to do it without noise. He was good at stealth, everybody knew.

Sharpe sneaked up behind him and before he knew, Sharpe had his mouth in front of his mouth and locked the mans neck into his elbow.

"One sound, and you are dead!" he whispered in his ear as he looked at the door. Backstabber was in the mean time down, and locked the door quickly.

The man nodded quickly, not wanting to die obvious and looked terrified forward.

"Okay, I am going to remove my hand and we 're going to have a nice chat!" Sharpe continued, "If you move or make a noise I don't like, you will end up just like the other down in the hallway," he let the words work on the guys mind for a second. "do you understand?"

The man nodded quickly and waited till Sharpe removed his hand.

Sharpe, now covered with Backstabbers riffle, removed the hand and grabbed quickly pistol from his belt, and aimed it in the direction of the mans head. Sharpe pushed the man in the chair in the corner, out of sight from the window, which wasn't hard, but still he needed the cover.

"Okay, we are going to have a little chat, " Sharpe repeated, "What is your name and what are you doing here?"

Sharpe wanted to know who he was dealing with and if this guy had any trade value. In the end, you never knew what you might catch,

"My name is Hamid!" the man said. He had a thick accent, coming close from Arabia. Sharpe thanked his experience in the Saudi Arabia so he could actually understand. "I am monitoring the video screens if I see something that happens in the hallway!"

Sharpe glared quickly to Backstabber, who shove the curtain in front of the window. Backstabber looked down the hallway, as he monitored as well the hallway.

"One above west stairs, one aiming at west stairs …" Backstabber said and moved past the curtains to look to the other side, deciding where the were. "… one above the east stairs, one in east stairs, one above elevator and one aiming … at the east office!"

"Okay Hamid, where is Silantia?"

The man looked uncertain and dared to ask a question in return. "Who is Silantia?"

Sharpe frowned but didn't wanted to slap the man in the face, afraid that he would make noise and alarm the others. He repeated the question, but added another, now vital line.

"Where is Silantia? The man you kidnapped first!"

The man, terrified by the hand of Sharpe, who had raised his hand into a dangerous position for the man, didn't hesitated to answer that one.

"East office, He is been kept at east office!" he almost cried.

Sharpe looked again at the man. Unshaven, a wannabe terrorist obvious but to young to be one and he didn't had the balls to be a terrorist. He was already crying and Sharpe wondered if the guy actually already had wet his own pants. This one was easy to crack, he might exploit this guy to question around.

Sharpe pressed in his button of his radio, so Joop could hear it all. "So how many men do you got up here, Hamid?"

The man was now hesitating, not sure if he could tell it to the man in the special suits, with riffle and pistol aimed at his head. Should he die now in honour, for the sake of Black Sun, have his virgins and being rich in the other world, and be able to afford everything thing he wanted ……. Screw that

"Eleven, including our leader!" he whispered

"Thank you, that was most kind of you to tell us the exact number, Hamid!" Sharpe said, leaning in, "but now, I am afraid, I am going to let you sleep!"

Sharpe turned his pistol around and hit the men on his head with it. The men wanted to fall from the chair, but Sharpe grabbed the man. With one hand, Sharpe pointed up to the ventilation shaft and Backstabber understood the message. Backstabber grabbed the chair, while Sharpe hold his hostage, and climbed up pulling himself into the ventilation. Then he hung out and grabbed the hostage from Sharpe, pulling him in the vent, quickly tying him up with a robe he found in the room and made sure he couldn't speak when he was getting conscious. He gave Sharpe the heads up about thirty seconds later and Sharpe made sure he unlocked the door. Then he jumped and grabbed the ledge, pulling himself up into the shaft and placed down the roster again. He looked behind him and watched for a second, smiling, his hostage.

"Joop, this is Sharpe, got another punk you can pick up when this is all done, he is in the ventilation shaft, above west office third floor…. No wait, we are going to place him on the hidden floor, but you probably need to pick him up from the roof then!"

"Roger that!" was Joop's reply, "I will make sure a helicopter is standby."

Sharpe smiled by himself and pulled the body towards the corner, where there was a shaft also up. Backstabber had already removed the roster from the side of the room and had climbed in. Sharpe stood up and pulled the body as well up, giving it to Backstabber, who pulled Hamid into the room.

"Put him in the corner, Backstabber!" Sharpe said softly and lowered himself again to crawl further, but suddenly he heard a voice again from the room. He stood back up and gave Backstabber the silence sign, listening on who was talking.

"Hmmpf…. Why do they leave always when you ask them to do something?" Ahmet mumbled and cursed. He placed down the emergency generator he just got and sat down again at the chair as Sharpe saw through the roster.

"It's always the same story with the lousy idiots. Why do I always get to work with the most retarded idiots here on earth. You cannot even rely on them to watch the screens for a second!"

He mumbled and talked in Arab, but Sharpe could make out of it he wasn't really happy that the guy Sharpe took as his prisoner, had left his station. On the other hand, he didn't make a real happening out of it. In this case, a good sign. The man leaned towards the laptop and started working on it. His hands became a blur over the keyboard as he was working. Tabs, overlaying each other, opened and closed in a fast movement even Sharpe couldn't follow. Because of the music that was on, it was pretty safe to communicate with Joop.

"Joop, Sharpe here. I got a wiz kid here on the laptop. He might have more information then the other two we captured, and I think a lot more then the pissing ant I captured earlier today!"

Joop chuckled over the microphone, "Love it when you curse…pick him up, or try to get information out of him now!"

Sharpe nodded to himself, and again removed to hatch, or at least, he tried to, because when he did, the door opened again and an other person got in.

"So Ahmet, you want me to set up the generator?" This voice was typical American

Sharpe frowned and started thinking. They were planned all the way on this. They laid out traps on the infiltration points, they had a generator and some wiz kid was working on a computer, while Silantia, Evilspark and 3rd were captured… these guys were well prepared for everything. He noticed the AK-47 in the corner as well, probably the one from Hamid he forgot. Because it was dark, you couldn't actually see it, it was thanks to Sharpe's night vision the Colonel could see it placed in the corner.

"No thanks, I can handle it!" Ahmet said, while still faced on the laptop. His fingers still rattling over the keyboard.

"Suit yourself!" the man shrugged, turned around and walked away, closing the door behind him again.

It was again silent in the room, besides for the music, that had changed to another song, and the keys on the keyboard, that clicked when Ahmet was hitting them. All these noises made the cover into a harmony for Sharpe. This meant that he had his chance right now.

Sharpe opened the hatch and lowered himself again into the room, the same way he did before. Slowly he let himself fall the last two feet on the floor and wanted to sneak in, but his first step was immediately a wrong one: he stepped on a mouse trap that was placed on the floor, probably by Hamid earlier when he discovered the mouse in the ventilation shaft earlier.

The trap snapped and closed, which gave a click and snap sound. Sharpe was about to get caught, and thought the guy would turn around and face him, as the man was reaching immediately to his belt. Sharpe drew his pistol and aimed towards the guy, prepared to shoot when the man just started laughing.

"Man ….. it took you long enough!"

Huh … What in heavens name … Sharpe was confused, did he know Backstabber and himself were in the building?

"Where did you get that coffee? Peru?"

Now the man turned and looked into the barrel of Sharpe's pistol. His mouth opened to scream or just to say something, Sharpe wasn't sure, but Sharpe's elbow was quicker then the mouth and hit the man full in the face, obvious breaking something, thanks to crack. Sharpe turned the man around and slammed with the back side of his pistol the man behind the right ear. The man slumped over, and Sharpe coughed him.

"Backstabber?" Sharpe whispered.

Backstabbers face appeared out of the vent, giving him a wave.

"One wiz kid, ready to pick up!"

Backstabber grinned, Sharpe saw that through his night vision goggles, and allowed himself a grin as well. He dragged the man to the open shaft and lifted him up, so Backstabber could drag him in the vent.

"Questioning! Upper floor!"

Backstabber nodded and dragged the body away from the self made entrance. Sharpe looked at the computer the man was working on and decided to have a look. Although he wasn't that technical he had little knowledge about computer language. The man had some open screens, and Sharpe moved the mouse over them, one was of the buildings fire sprinkler system, the other controlled the electronics, which were down now, thanks to the cable shut down.

Sharpe snapped a few pictures of the code the guy was making, since he couldn't make much sense of it. Maybe Method, Raza or Rabbit could figure it out. Then made his way back to the ventilation, climbed up and closed the hatch, crawling away.

The door went open as Sharpe could hear and hold himself still for a second. He could hear steps on the floor and a man breathing.

"Ahmet … you here? I got your coffee!"

It was quiet for a second as the man walked around the room, bumping into a box, cursing for a few seconds, the probably just shrugging.

"Probably to the bathroom or something…. Don't think he ll mind if I just put his coffee next to the laptops!" he mumbled.

He placed down the coffee mug and walked again out of the room, closing the door again.

Sharpe allowed himself to smile and he crawled forward, to the corner, and he climbed up, where Backstabber, and his hostage was waiting


	10. Chapter 7

"I cant make anything out of this…."

Joop looked confused to the lines on the screen and frowned. His eyes tried to search for a pattern in the work code that was given on the screen. Sharpe had made a snapshot of the screen of the laptop, but it didn't made sense for Joop. The program did, but the program language wasn't.

"Can you make heads or tails out of it?" Joop asked to Method, who leaned over from the operations chair towards the screen. " 'cause I cant make any out of this. It's like it's really incomplete…"

Joop shook his head and stared away from the screen, looking out of the van towards his other troops. Poacher and Dude had returned without any problems and had briefed quickly on what had been going on. Poacher actually confronted Joop with the fact that the explosives he had found were part of a diversion. They were powerful to serious injure and kill a person, but not as powerful to actually hurt the building. Well it would be hurt and severely damaged, but there was no chance on collapsing. This surprised Joop, but made him also more confident. It meant also that the people actually were not coming for a suicide mission.

Dude was standing in front of the van, cleaning his riffle while he stared down, and Poacher was somewhere further, leaning against a building. They were both actually processing the death of Jamal in their own way. Poacher seemed to have more problems with it then Dude, which was actually not surprising, since Poacher knew Jamal from way back, when this division in the military was created.

"Joop?"

Joop turned around and Method pointed to his left screen. He had apparently ran the pictures that Sharpe had taken from his prisoners against the international watch lists and there was a match. The green word 'match' bleeped in the screen while a picture of him to compare was lighting up. The picture that Sharpe had taken from Ahmet had found it's match

"Meet Ahmet Aswiri…" started Method. "Born in Iraq, in 1978, raised in Libanon and Israel. He is a computer hacker that programs viruses for terrorists. Contacts with Al-Qaida, Red Ribbon and FARC, on the wanted list since 2003 after hacking into the CIA's main server to delete his andAbu Laith al-Libi record from the CIA and wanted database!"

Joop frowned.. "Laith al-Libi? … that somebody high in Al-Qaida if I am not mistaken!"

"Yes," continued Method. "The attempt failed, according the file, and ever since on the run for Homeland Security, CIA, FBI, you name it!"

"I understand, but what is he doing up there then? Black Sun is small time for him if he has contacts with those big groups!"

"You can ask him later when you have him in your interrogation!" Method replied cynical.

"And it doesn't explain why a hacker is at the crime scene. There is more then this!"

Joop sighted, trying to figure everything out. At that moment somebody stepped into the van. Joop shifted his position and looked towards the new person.

"Hello Ace. Glad that you join our party!"

"Party?" Ace chuckled, "It looks more like a action-horror movie here!"

Ace talked in his typical Australian accent. His broad smile over his face would give everybody a good mood or at least a smile, but this time it couldn't cheer up Joop. He lost Jamal, and there was a chance Dorvalla wouldn't make it either, although Biker was pretty optimistic.

"Hows Dorv?" Joop asked.

"Biker has him in surgery." Ace replied. "He said something has protected him from the blast. He has scrap metal in his back, but nothing fatal. The reason why Dorv was actually out for a minute, was for Biker an easy one to determ. The pressure of the blast smacked Dorv against the wall, the pain couldn't be processed by his brains, so he his lights went off"

"Other wounds?"

"Bruised arm, but he looks fine further. But then there is off course the emotional and psychic side of the patient. No one knows how fast that heals!"

"Post-Traumatic Stress?" Method filled in.

"Exactly!"

"Dorv is a fine lad, Joop…" Ace said, "Don't worry to much about it now, he is fine and will make it!"

Joop nodded and moved his hand over his face, just to rub his eyes as he was staring to the screen. "Still, we have this puzzle!" he sighted as he was watching the screen of Ahmet and his record on it

Ace moved in closer to the screen of the computer and the data that was on it. "Where is this picture taken?"

"Sharpe just took them inside, while he kidnapped our suspect!" Method said, after looking at the picture Ace was referring too… "My best bet would be somewhere on the top floor!"

Ace stared to the picture and started thinking… "I seen this before, cant recall where…" he mumbled.

Suddenly an icon in the taskbar cought Ace's eye.. "Ehh Joop? I think we have a problem if someone was busy on that computer…."

"Why?" Joop shifted his attention towards the screen and suddenly he realized Ace was right. The laptop was linked to the internet

Joop watched with big eyes to the screen and tried to figure out what could happen.

"Okay, think with me for a second, all! If this guy is on the internet, he probably wont use it to read the online newspaper!"

Ace chuckled. "I guess not!"

"Broadcasting something maybe?" Method suggested

"Probably, or cyber terrorism!" Joop replied, "But we don't know for sure! I mean, how can we see from here what he is doing. We don't know where his connection is going, nor where he got it from!"

They all were thinking for a moment, all not really sure either what to say or what to do.

"We don't, but Ninja might know!" Method brought up. "Ninja also single handed rewrote the training program."

"If you think he can do it, call him in!" Joop said and walked away, out of the mobile command centre. Joop looked over all his soldiers and tried to get a mood reading from them. As he had seen Poacher and Dude, he obvious also checked others. White Eagle, Godlike, who were still keeping an eye on the building, watching through their iron sights, were sitting behind a few crates, taking everytime a five minute shift. Further he checked also a few others who just arrived at the scene, such as Poker, Vergo and Mixx. Joop didn't felt like briefing them and gave Ace that task. When Ace started the common story, he thought for a minute. "RC-Rally, where are you?"

Rally looked up, sitting on the ground next to one of the old abandoned warehouses. The property where the camp was build on had many divisions, many warehouses and because of innovation and reorganisation, some buildings were abandoned.

"I am here, sir!"

Joop looked into the direction and found RC-Rally sitting on the floor. He nodded and walked to him. When he reached the soldier, Joop sat down next to him and stared for a moment to the building. Then he looked to OBrien, who was on the floor somewhat away from them. He was suffering.

When the explosive had gone off, Jamal had been blown up in tiny pieces, covering the area. OBrien had felt allot of blood, body parts and vital organs all over himself from Jamal. Next to that, OBrien had suffered also severe damage, but because of his shock, he never treated them. He was bleeding, although you couldn't see it, because half his gear was red from Jamals blood.

"Take OBrien to the nearest hospital. We don't have place anymore for him to be treated. Biker needs the surgery room and the extra space for the beds. We have no clue how bad Spark, 3rd, Sil, Sharpe and Backstabber will be when this is over, and Biker has already his hands full on Dorvalla at the moment!"

Rally nodded and stood up, walking to OBrien. OBrien was, as always, stubborn and tried Rally to convince he was fine. None of this was actually true, but he didn't wanted to know the horrifying truth.

Joop nodded as he saw Rally helping OBrien up. OBrien was walking difficult to the Jeep that was been made ready. Rally helped OBrien into the vehicle and the stepped behind the steering wheel and drove off in the direction of the main entrance / exit from the base.

Joop kept sitting on the floor, sighting, and reached into his front pocket, grabbing a cigarette and a lightener out of it. He lit up his cigarette and inhaled the nicotine from it. He needed his cigarette bad right now. He always smoked when it got tough for him, and so it was now. The cigarette made him relax, and he closed his eyes for a moment and felt some relief.

Could he have done it different? Joop didn't think so. He had send in the most experienced people. He knew he could rely on all of them, but yet, faith seemed to had turned against them. It was like they knew all of Joops steps. The mines, the strategic placed persons. It was like they studied the building for ages. It seems like this was planned all along.

"Sorry to bother you, Joop!" Method said, who was walking towards him. He waited till Joop gave him permission to go on. "We reached Ninja, and he is on his way to the base. "According the schedule, had a few days on-leave. We reached him on his cell. He said he will be here in about 30 minutes!"

Joop sighted. "Then it might be too late, and maybe the terrorists have succeeded in their plan, what ever that might be!"

"True that!" Method replied… "But we can ask Sharpe or Backstabber to 'disarm' the laptop"

"That might trigger an alarm for them. As far as they know, everybody is out of the building. If they realize the laptop is gone as well two of their technicians, or soldiers, or what ever they are, they might realize they are infiltrated and kill Silantia, Sparky and 3rd!" Joop thought out loud and walked slowly back to the Mobile Command Centre.

He stopped again and listened to Ace, briefing the new comers. Then he looked again to White Eagle and Godlike, who were still watching the building.

"Any news?" he asked them.

White Eagle, sitting on the ground shook his head. "Besides the fact they are all regrouping on the third floor, they are keeping themselves quiet!"

"Only fire when they fire on you, Eagle and Godlike!" Joop replied and sighted. "I don't want to provoke actions now that might kill Silantia!"

White Eagle and Godlike nodded both after hearing Joops plea and returned to their assigned jobs. Godlike glared through his Iron-sight again while White-Eagle sat down again on the floor, against a crate and took a sip from his bottle of water.

"I swear, Method.." Joop said while he walked again to the Mobile Command Centre, "I am going to lose my mind soon if we don't get Sil out there soon!"

He stepped on the small stairs of the Mobile Command Centre, then threw away his half smoked cigarette and sighted… "Here we go again!"

"You dont look to well, Joop" Method said while he looked to the face of the man in charge of operations. He scanned the temporarily commanding officer of the America's Army division from head to toe, and concluded Joop had better days.

"Would you?" Joop replied as he looked behind him, seeing how Ace was still briefing the new soldiers on the battlefield. He could see the shock on their face about the loss of Jamal, how Dorvalla was in the hospital and how Silantia, 3rd and Evilspark were in costudy of the enemy.

"Think about it for a second, my friend," he continued as he sat down in a chair, putting his head between his hands and rested it on his knees, "I am leading at the moment a commando force just excisting out of 2 great soldiers. I am there contact point. Hell, I lost one, almost three great soldiers. My Commanding Officer is hold hostage, a two men squad has been captured, and the enemy is busy on the internet, spreading news, uploading virusses or doing something else, as in broadcasting something.."

"We don't know, Joop, don't assume doom scenario's right now!"

"Ow I do, I have too. If I wouldn't, everything can happen and we are not prepared to it. Hell I have to concider the fact that maybe Dorvalla and Obrien still die, that we find the bodies of Sharpe, Backstabber, Silantia, Evilspark and 3rd when the enemy surrenders or get away…."

"How bad is Obrien?" Method asked while he watched the screens, trying to determine in Thermal view who was where, but because of the thick walls, it was only clear when somebody came near the window.

"I don't know. Honestly he is at the moment not priority!" Joop replied helpless. He sighted and closed his eyes for a minute.

It became silent in the mobile command centre. The command centre was build within a truck. It was a perfect base to start out, it had every facility a command truck could wish for. Although it was small, it was high-tech. It certainly was worth every penny General Darkstar had spend on it. The computer screen flashed over with all kinds of data. If you sad in the operator chair, you had view over 9 different computer screens, two televisions and you had access to the internet, via satellite connection. Further the truck had a nice storage with frag grenades, smoke grenades, flash bangs, M4a1 riffles, Automatic Riffles, and body armors. All standard issued thanks to the investments from people who were higher in the military food chain.

Method stared to the lower screen, following a heat signature that was standing near a window. The red-orange-yellow-blue figure was watching outside, since he stood there for the last 2 minutes. Method noted it down on the paper that lay in front of him. He tried to discover a routine, so it would be easier to escape for the five inside. But there was no pattern to discover. Off course not, this was a guerrilla group. They weren't trained on patrol protocols. Only those who were in the army, or high profiled security companies did that. They had the money to instruct their people………

Method blinked, thinking for a second, and then pulled one of the keyboards towards him, and started typing on it, trying to go with the flow of the internet connection. Browsers popped open and closed again, series of data streamed over the screen, while Method worked further, without blinking or hesitating.

"I think I know what they are doing, Joop!" said Method after a minute while he was still working on the keyboard as fast as he could.

Joop stopped staring to the ground, and looked up. "What do you mean?"

Methods hands were in a blur of motion all over the keyboard, while he still was watching the browsers in front of him. Joop followed the browser and frowned. "Explain please!" he said, actually more demanding.

"Well, I kinda got the idea while I was looking for a pattern of patrolling. Curious isn't it how an idea can pop while you do something totally different," Method responded, obvious not seeing how Joop almost lost his patience.

"You see, how do Black Sun get their money?" Method returned a question to Joop

"How the hell should I know. That's not my concern!" Joop said, a bit frustrated, but decided to corporate with Method and started thinking out loud, "Well Black Sun is a Guerrilla movement, created for the sole purpose to regain their land back here, just like the E.T.A. and the IRA. Although they don't do suicide attacks they fight as group. Maybe they smuggle stuff, or take ransoms…."

He stopped, and looked to Method, who surprisingly had a little smile over his face.

"I ll be damned…." Joop said softly. He turned his face towards an other screen, where the picture that Sharpe made, of the weird inscription, was still displayed.

Method pointed to a number that was repeated over and over again. "You see this?" Method asked as he pressed his finger against the screen at a series of numbers. He didn't wait till Joop responded, because he was to excited about his discovery. He pulled up on the screen above a browser. The screen above it contained the internet browser of and the number was inserted there. The hits that came up led to an over-sea bank.

"These numbers indicate it's an offshore bank," continued Method. "That's why Ace recalled them. He has worked in the past with a Navy Seal team that infiltrated an offshore bank in Argentina!"

Method had pulled up Ace's file on another screen, making a selection in Ace's file, so Joop could see it.

"Ace, get in here!" Joop shouted outside, and saw the one who was called responding inmideatly. Ace jogged quickly to the truck and stepped quickly inside. He watched quickly to the screens and then looked questioning to Joop, as he saw that Method was way to busy figuring quickly the data out.

"Offshore bank, Ace." Joop said, "That's why you recognized it!"

Ace looked to the screen and nodded. "Yeah, this is an offshore bank number. The first four numbers are the numbers of the country, although I am not sure which one …."

Method frowned as he pressed the enter key on his keyboard.

"We have to go to Panama?" Ace asked as he watched the outcome of the screen. He looked towards the numbers on the screen and then to a Google hit : Mcas Banco de Panama, Panama City, Panama.

"To who belongs the account?" Joop asked, but Method shook his head. "That's for Ninja to find out, cause I am not hacker. I probably cant get in their system. Too complicated, and they will snatch me in seconds. Ninja is probably way better in it!"

Joop sighted, "Well at least one mystery is solved, but this answer brings only a zillion more questions!"


	11. Chapter 8

Sharpe looked with a satisfied smile towards the two men, who were wrapped up in ropes, flexi cuffs and duct tape over the mouths. If he would bring them down like this, it would be just like Christmas: Sharpe as Santa, Joop and Silantia as the happy kids, the hostages as their presents. Backstabber, next to the two presents, was tying them up now to one of the 4 poles that were in the room. These iron poles were placed for extra fundament and part of the roof rested on these so called "safety constructions".

Backstabber backed away from them, inspecting the knots, making sure they couldn't escape. He then gave Sharpe a thumbs-up and Sharpe nodded. He walked softly and slowly around the prisoners and concluded that they were ready to be transported to prison, or something that would look like a jail. Sharpe thought back when he had visited Leavenworth as a trip allot of higher ranked soldiers do. At expenses of the division, watching how the soldiers who violate the Rules Of Engagement get punished and how they live. Iron barred doors, 3 times a day a small nutrition, working with laundry, alarms, drills, prisoner fights and, off course, the ugly suits. Sharpe remembered all of it as he was escorted by several guards and instructed by the director.

He nodded to Backstabber and looked around the room. The only thing that could endanger their mission right now, was actually if the glass windows, placed against the wall, would suddenly just break. But Backstabber had assured the two could never reach them, by cuffing them around a pillar.

Sharpe grabbed his gear, and slid down into the vent, trying not to make to much noise as he went prone and crawled on his elbows slowly yet soundless through the ventilation shaft. Lowering his night vision goggles, Sharpe saw everything in a blur of green in front of him and could count the screws along the side of the ventilation shaft. Also the pile of dust in front of him. He already seen it before when he slid for the first time into the ventilation shaft when he was at the elevator. The dust was pilled up and when he touched down with his hand, he noticed the dust would stick to his fingers, leaving a deep mark in the dust it self.

Backstabber now lowered himself into the shaft and checked up one time more on his packaging project before he crouched and swinging his riffle over his back. Then he grabbed the pistol he had looted from Hamid. Hamid had carried a HK **USP** Compact, with silencer and two magazines. Besides his own pistol, maybe this one would be handy. Then he went prone as well and followed Sharpe on a safe distance, also making sure he couldn't be heard.

Sharpe chuckled to himself and let a smile fall over his face as he crawled further into the ventilation shaft. He felt now like the Splinter cell Sam Fisher, Dorvalla's hero. Sharpe once see Dorvalla having the whole Splinter Cell series, books and games. Dorvalla read allot anyway. Sharpe knew from back of the days that Dorvalla read allot of Tom Clancy's work and when Sharpe went once to his house just a few miles outside the base, he had noticed the big study room, with the bookcases. Dorvalla had told him, reading was one of the few ways he could relax.

Too bad Sharpe didn't had a weapon like Sam Fisher, although he was happy with his own weapon. He modified it with a 203 launcher under the main barrel and had replaced the regular iron sight with an improved one and had made sure he had an enhanced zoom, so he could see far away with it. Pinpointing and setting the gun to a single shot modus, he would become a deadly sniper. And with the silencer on top of the barrel, he worked in silence.

Backstabber had an enhanced riffle himself, as well with 203 launcher under the barrel and silencer, yet his iron sight was different the Sharpe's. He had a crosshair in his iron sight, with a clear cross in it, pinpointing exactly the middle, while Sharpe had a so called aim-dot. It didn't really matter why they had it, they just had it to shoot accurate with it.

Sharpe stopped and peeked around the corner with his flexi camera, as he had done it a million times before. The shaft in front of him was empty, besides of the mice that ran around in it. Sharpe crawled then around the corner and leaned for a few seconds on his elbows, checking the shaft. In the middle of the shaft was a crossing. This meant that there were more alternative routes, cause he knew the ventilation system well enough. The left shaft would bring him above west offices, while the right one brought him above the stinger depot. Although these 2 routes required to get early out of the ventilation system, and Sharpe wanted to keep the element of surprise. After all, if he would be discovered, there was a possibility he would be executed or when he would survive, he might bump into a executed Silantia. The element of surprise would be the best strategy according Sharpe and he crawled forward towards the crossing.

He peeked around the corners from left to right with his flexi camera and he was happy to see it was all clear. The mice he had spotted earlier with his camera were running through the shaft towards the west offices. Sharpe didn't pay attention to it and crawled straight ahead, since that shaft would bring him directly above east offices, the offices where Silantia was being kept.

As quiet as possible, Backstabber followed Sharpe and checked the rear from time to time if he heard something that was uncomfortable with him. Although the noise of the ventilation system running softly on spare power, there was nothing other then the running mice in the ventilation shaft. Backstabber figured out, that this cache had to be cleaned pretty soon and put a cat in the shafts. It was crawling with mice around here. Not that Backstabber minded, in the end, it were just animals, but whenever mice are present, a building deteriorates quicker then normal.

Sharpe now reached another corner and saw in the end a light, that fel into the ventilation shaft. It meant there was a roster there, so he could move it. If it was the same one as he had encountered before, he would not have any problems with it.

Sharpe moved slowly forward and could now hear voices. It was Arabic, but Sharpe understood it actually partly. It seemed two men were guarding the three Sharpe was looking for, but they didn't seem happy. Sharpe laid down on his tummy and held still for a minute and listened to the conversation he tried to translate.

"I have no idea why I got talked into doing this!" Said the guard Sharpe defined as guard 1, "This job is more dangerous then ……. on the battlefield."

"I did it because I thought, and still think Tarik has a waterproof plan. They don't even know what will happen to them as soon as we get the chance to strike fully whenever our informant comes with the necessary information and you ……. " A loud scream from the other side of the hallway was heard, followed by a few gun shots ……

"Damn mice," a third person shouted, "They are everywhere!"

Allot of rumour came down from the hallway now, since obvious the leader had stept out of his little office. A door got slammed closed, and Sharpe couldn't understand the man, since he talked to fast.

Sharpe counted voices, so he could define the amount of guards, but he knew already he was horribly outgunned.

Sharpe listened still carefully to the voice that came from below him. The conversation seemed to take his interest, as the two guards went back to the conversation after the little interruption. Sharpe felt his elbows getting painful and tired. But this conversation may proved to be useful.

"Anyway, "guard two went on after the gunshots faded away as well the screaming, "You will be rewarded well for this, and I know Tarik's plan actually will work. We have the information we needed. Our man probably has already given the information via the internet or so!"

Sharpe tried to make sense of the conversation, but it didn't for him. He was caught now in a web of conspiracies and lies. This wasn't about Silantia. This was all about information. But information from what? And who was their man? The more Sharpe thought about it, the more confused he became.

Sharpe felt a tap on his boot and looked around. Backstabber gestured to move on. For some odd reason, Sharpe had all forgotten for a bit about to free Silantia, EvilSpark and 3rd. He nodded and crawled further, deciding these were all questions for later, for debriefing and maybe interrogation.

In silence he moved forward towards the roster at the end of the ventilation shaft. He felt like a snake, manoeuvring himself through this dusty pipe system towards it's destiny, keeping his eyes fixed on his target, while he suck up every sound like a sponge. The voices of the two guards faded slowly away to a soft background noise, while a radio seemed now became louder. It seemed to be the popular show from Howard Stern that Sharpe heard and he tried not to listen to it. Not that he didn't like the pranks Howard Stern did, but he was afraid it might trigger something in his mind that made him laugh or chuckle, or something else that would make sound.

He reached the roster and leaned carefully over it, to see what was down. The curtains were closed, and the only light that was in the room was a small green emergency exit light, that obvious was placed above the door. Sharpe's night vision detected more. He detected immediately the two bodies of EvilSpark and 3rd. Silantia wasn't in his sight from here, and Sharpe decided to peek around with the flexi camera. He slide it through the roster and peeked around. He saw Silantia in the other corner. Obvious he was beaten up cause even with night vision Sharpe could detect that his cheeks were a mingle of red, blue and purple. He pulled out again his flexi camera and pressed in the button of his radio system.

"Santa Claus to happy boy, do you copy?"

After some static the voice of Joop sounded through Sharpe's earpiece. "We now having codenames?"

"I don't know, it sounded appropriate… I just found the three packages you want to be opened! Can I proceed?"

Joop confirmed it and Sharpe signed out again, waiting if anybody heard it. Although Sharpe had talked really loud, it was more whispering, he wanted to make sure nobody heard him. He then slid again the camera through the roster and twisted it 360 degrees to check if the room was totally clear.

After making sure nobody was else in the room, he tried to open the roster, but it didn't gave away. After Sharpe pulled a few times he finally saw that 4 screws kept the roster on it's place. Sharpe cursed to himself a little too loud and felt the tap on his boot from Backstabber. Sharpe zipped his lips and checked if somebody heard the sound. Obviously not, since the sound was merely covert now by one of Howard Sterns prank calls. Sharpe reached down to his boot and drew from the side his army knife. The Scykes military knife was one of the standard issued equipment that you would get when you entered the division. Modifications were easy to do, since the blade was detachable from the handle and could be replaced by any other blade. Sharpe had swapped his blade with another one. The top side was a little more smaller and had holes in the blade itself, to release some of the pressure.

Sharpe checked the knife, flipped the sharp side up and placed the top part of the blade on the first screw. He placed his fingers around the top of the knife, making sure he wouldn't cut himself and gave a gentle, yet powerful yank to it. The screw moved. Sharpe started to use the knife as a screwdriver and within thirty seconds, he could pull out the first screw.

Slowly and soundless, he moved towards the next screw and repeated the procedure. His creativity had not obviously left him, using his knife for a purpose the knife wasn't really designed for, but yet, the deadly iron thing did just fine as screwdriver and didn't complain either about it: it didn't break.

Sharpe now had reached the third screw and started working slowly on it, yet placing it again on the screws top and started twisting it until he could grab the screw and twist it manually out of the hole. He did the screw in one of his pockets so he wouldn't lose them. You never knew if they would be handy later.

While he was leaning over to do the last screw, Backstabber tapped him on the shoe and Sharpe withdrew himself from the roster, crawling back. Backstabber was right 'cause he could hear somebody walking in the direction of the office. 'Better be safe then sorry', was Sharpe's motto and held still in the vent.

The keys twisted and the door went open. Somebody walked to the radio and turned it off. Then he started yelling in Arabic against the three down in the room. Sharpe didn't recognize the accent, it must been from somewhere from the south or against the Iraqi border.

"Calm down!" said another voice. Sharpe was surprised, since this person had a typical American accent. He used slang that was typical in New York. Sharpe guessed Queens, but wasn't sure, but it didn't matter right now.

"Now now, what is going on Mustapha?" said the voice again and waited till Mustapha started talking again.

Now Mustapha talked in English, Sharpe and Backstabber could easily understand him.

"Something is wrong. I can't find Ahmet or Hamid!"

"Hamid went to get the power generator, and probably Ahmet is grabbing coffee from the vending machine on the second floor… You are overreacting, my friend!"

Mustapha tried to say something but the other person calmed him down. "I assure you… there is no one in this building besides our group and these 3 morons!"

The door closed again, and somebody twisted the keys, locking the door, and then the two walked through the corridor.

Sharpe remembered suddenly again how to breath and inhaled and exhaled gently. He was for a second certain that they would get discovered. However faith was now obviously on their side. The guy should have known better off course to make sure this Mustapha guy was saying the truth, but he trusted on his own guts and thought really the army withdrew all their men.

However, their cover was blown now. The radio was off so every sound could be heard now, so Sharpe leaned over the roster again and proceeded softly and soundless unscrewing the screw. This one seem to be more stuck then the others and Sharpe had to actually put force on the blade to actually make the screw move, but in the end, it all went fine and Sharpe retrieved the screw. He put the knife back in the holder next to his right boot and gave then Backstabber a thumbs up.

He lifted up the roster and he crossed passed the place where the roster had been. Then he placed it down behind him, after he turned around and looked now at the entrance of the room if he peeked down. Backstabber moved forward and peeked down, now seeing his two team mates and in the other corner Silantia.

Sharpe didn't hesitated further and slid out of the vent, and let himself drop on the floor. He crouched as he landed and drew immediately his own pistol, aiming it at the door. He saw out of the corner of his eyes Silantia had opened his eyes and followed his movements, while EvilSpark and thirds were faced away from Sharpe's position and had no clue what was going on.

Backstabber had crossed by now and laid now prone in Sharpe's previous position with his riffle steady, looking at the door, making sure Sharpe wouldn't be surprised and get shot while he would free the three down there. He aimed the crosshair of his iron sight towards the door and held it steady at about the height of a humans head, so he wouldn't have the chance to do something if Backstabber pulled the trigger.

Sharpe walked, aiming at the door, towards Silantia, and looked towards the robes Silantia was tied with. Thick oiled robes, probably from a ship were used to make sure Silantia couldn't use his hands, and were kept together on his back. Sharpe had for a second eye contact with his commanding officer and then crouched to grab his Scykes again, this time using the knife for a more appropriate purpose. He placed them against the ropes and started cutting through the ropes. The knife sunk through the ropes as a hot knife through butter and Silantia's hands was within no time free.

Silantia rubbed his arms and removed the piece of duct tape from his mouth. His face was in pain, and dead serious as Sharpe hold up his ten finger. Silantia repeated 'ten' soundless, and Sharpe nodded. Silantia started working on the ropes that were placed around his feet, so he wasn't able to walk normally. Sharpe placed his pistol next to him and walked silently to the other side of the room where EvilSpark and third were placed.

Sharpe placed his knife against the ropes of EvilSpark's hands and let the knife do the work, so Sparky's hands were in no time free of movement. He rubbed his arms for a second where the rope had been. It had left a red mark on his arms and he looked painfully at it. Then he pulled the duct tape of his mouth and he breathed gently the air in and out. The look towards Sharpe gave Sharpe enough information. It was a mere thanks, but it would do for now. Sharpe didn't expected presents at this moment anyway.

He moved over to 3rd and repeated the same procedure, cutting him free of his hands. While 3rd enjoyed the freedom what had been taken away from him about thirty minutes ago, Sharpe moved back to the ventilation shaft and made with his hand a pistol sign. Backstabber reached down and grabbed his pistol, as well the looted USP he had from Hamid earlier. He gave it down to Sharpe while he kept watching the door through his scope.

Sharpe took the gun and looked towards Spark and 3rd how they were untying themselves. Silantia was already free. Not that he was a master in untying knots, but for some odd reason, the person who had tied him up, wasn't good at it, since the knots were dead simple. Silantia walked softly towards Sharpe and gave him a thankful look. Sharpe nodded back, and watched then back towards EvilSpark, who was helping now 3rd with his ropes, but it seemed nothing special and within twenty seconds, 3rd was standing as well. Sharpe handed them both a pistol.

EvilSpark looked a bit confused to the pistol he got. He never shot with an USP and aimed it, wondering if it would how bad the recoil would be. The silencer that was placed on the barrel was a bit old, and didn't looked really like it would cover up any sound. 3rd tapped on his shoulders and offered to trade. 3rd was a pistol maniac and seemed to know the pistol, so EvilSpark traded it for the standard issued ES Five Seven 3rd had received from. Sparky loved the pistol. Not because it was just merely half a kilogram in his hands, and because it could shoot twenty rounds out of one magazine, but because it was a gun with it's origin in Belgium. Sparky's roots were in Belgium as well.

Although a standard issued pistol was been handed out, allot of soldiers used different pistols. Sharpe knew that Joop was a fan of the 228 Compact, created in Germany and Switzerland, while Dorvalla carried on missions or training a Nighthawk 50C, also nicked as the Desert Eagle, with him. Sharpe wasn't that font of that pistol, it was pretty heavy for a pistol with it's 1,5 kilogram, and had only seven bullets in it's magazine. He somewhere heard that Obrien carried a single 0.40 Elite and that RC-Rally used a Glock, short termed for 9x19 mm.

Sharpe looked around the room and his eyes stopped at a big bag of sand and some crates that were placed in a corner. He gestured to Spark to help. Silantia understood it and looked if he could find also a shelter, in case of a fire fight. It was obvious, they couldn't return with 5 people through a ventilation shaft. The chance it would break down was to big, as well there was a chance of sound while getting in it.

In merely a minute, Sharpe, Sparky and 3rd had set up a small wall, where they could hide behind if there would be a bullet spray. The bag of sand was placed before the crates, so they had some protection from the bullets. The crates were full of junk and Sharpe hoped it would stop the bullets or at least made sure it wouldn't hit them.

Silantia found his shelter behind the pillar he had been tied to, although it wasn't much as a cover. 3rd had found an old desk he had gently flipped over. It was hard wood and it could take a while before it would be penetrated.

Alright, they had their cover, but it was still ten armed to the teeth against two riffles and three pistols with limited magazines.

"Okay, " whispered Sharpe as they had set up their defensive perimeter, "There is to much of us to move through the ventilation shaft, and going through the hallway is not really an option, since we are limited on ammo. Yet if we can tie all these ropes together, we can go through the window and climb down. As far as I know there are no windows on that side…"

Sparky nodded… "No windows, just stone and wood!"

"Good," said Silantia and he opened the curtains. Light fell in the room and Silantia had to let his eyes get used to it, as well the rest of the team. Bright light filled up the room and made them all aware it had started raining. "I am dying for a hamburger, so let's do this"

Sharpe chuckled and decided to tell Joop their plan. He also asked the man in charge of the operation if any people give them cover while the would go down through the window.

"So you want how many people at the east perimeter?" Joops voice sounded, crackled through the earpiece of Sharpe, not totally sure if he understood it right.

"Just make sure we don't get shot as we make our way out of the window, Joop" Sharpe replied in his little microphone. "Just place there a few guys and a sniper or so.. that way we have more chance then you just watch us climbing down!"

Sharpe signed out and looked around. Sparky had picked up the ropes that were used to tie them all up, and started tying them together, while 3rd and Backstabber kept their eyes on the door.

Then suddenly the loud sound of shattered glass was heard. Sharpe looked up to Backstabber and then to Silantia, who shrugged. The sound came from top, although it couldn't be done by the two guys up there, or had they found a way to escape from the flexi cuffs.

The noise alarmed not only the five, but also the terrorists. They were shouting at each other. Sharpe couldn't make much sense at it, but he realized they were now in danger, and looked around him.

Suddenly the sound of keys in the door, made Sharpe aware to duck behind his imaginary wall, and to draw his riffle he had on his back, while Silantia stepped behind the pillar. Sparky, who sat on the ground behind the crates, drew his pistol and 3rd crouched as he took aim with his pistol to the door. Backstabber placed his finger on the trigger…..


	12. Chapter 9

The door opened and a unshaven man, in dirty clothing came in. He blinked for a second and looked around. He realized suddenly that something was different. His eyes went from left to right and noticed a desk flipped over, allot of boxes on each other and a gun barrel pointed at his head ….

Pffft

He wanted to scream loud, but no sound came out of his throat. His legs became heavy and for some odd reason, his arms didn't raise either, although he was really trying. He tried to reach out to hold something, cause he was losing balance, but no part of his body corporate. He smacked on the floor and shifted his gaze for a final time. Something hot and red ran over his face, and covered his eyes. His vision became blurry and he realized blood was dripping over his face.….

Then Darkness claimed his life.

3rd leapt over the desk and took the keys that had felt on the floor. The man had removed the keys from the lock when he had opened the door and had held them when 3rd had pulled the trigger of his USP with silencer. He peeked quickly around the corner, withdrawing his head just in time because a bullet was whistling through the air.

In the hallway was allot of shouting now and people were pointing now at the door.

"Close it!" shouted Silantia, knowing it wouldn't be much off a defence, but it could buy them some extra time.

3rd leaped over, not getting hit by any bullets the passed his body, and kicked with his left foot the door. It closed and 3rd pressed his foot against it, searching quickly for the key of the room. The second key he tried was the right one and he turned it around, locking the door from the inside. To be sure, he didn't remove the keys so if someone had spare ones, they couldn't be opened easily, he hoped.

"Sparky, how far with those ropes?" Sharpe asked quickly, and Sparky laid down his gun immediately. He went on further tying the ropes, and within no time, he had made from the 3 ropes one long one, and he threw it Silantia.

Silantia caught the rope and tied it around the pillar with a few good knots and then threw the rest of the rope out of the window. Sparky stood up, grabbed his gun and made sure the door was covered while 3rd had taken cover again behind his desk.

At that moment, somebody decided to open fire at the door. Since it was wood, probably it would be penetrated quickly and the noise was unbearable. Sharpe could count at least 4 different riffles shooting at the door.

"You first, Sil!" shouted Sharpe to his commanding officer and pointed to the window. It seemed Sil didn't had a choice, grabbed the rope and climbed out of the window.

Sharpe's radio bleeped. "Sharpe, your back-up is ready!"

Sharpe pressed quickly the button and shouted "Roger…"

He turned around and looked to Sil, gave him a nod, and Sil disappeared out of his sight.

Sparky ran to the window and looked down, where he saw Silantia, climbing easily down, without any complications. He jumped the last part, since the rope was about 2 meters short and he landed, crouched and drew immediately his pistol again, aiming it to the top of the window, while slowly backing away towards Poker and White-Eagle, who were covering the window in case something would go wrong.

Sparky ducked, crawled through the window and grabbed rope. He waited till Silantia gave him a clear go and looked around. From out of the window, he could see how the trucks were set up from here, how he could see another squad just arrived at the scene and were unpacking their gear.

"The Calvary has arrived" Spark mumbled, and lowered himself down, walking backwards of the wall, carefully so he wouldn't get to much hurt. His arm hurt like hell, since somebody tried to break it when he got captured. Sparky would pay him the ultimate price back when he would get his hands on the son-of-a-bitch who tried to do that to him. A big blue bruised spot was visible on his arm, since he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

He reached the ground with the last jump and checked around him, doing the same thing as Silantia had down a couple of seconds earlier. He grabbed his gun and aimed it at the window, where now the body of 3rd was visible.

3rd also waited for the signal of Silantia, who was instructing them from the floor with hand signals and lowered himself as soon as the commanding officer gave the go signal. Sharpe watched quickly and looked at the door. The shooting had stopped, either they changed clips or they were planning something. Sharpe decided it wouldn't be a good idea to wait and instructed Backstabber to get out of the ventilation shaft.

Backstabber lowered himself with ease out of the vent, riffle on his back and ran as quick as he could to the window and leaned over.

"I need your smoke grenades," Sharpe instructed, and Backstabber gave him quickly his 2 smoke grenades. The he climbed through the window, and grabbed the rope. He looked to Silantia, who gave him the wait signal, since 3rd was still on the rope. Backstabber turned around and looked to the door from behind the pillars. They were gathering….

"Go" hissed Sharpe to Backstabber, and turned around, looking through his scope to the door and then relieved it. He looked to the shadows that came under the door and he saw they were indeed doing something..

"I want no one alive in there !!" He heard a voice shouting. "Kill them all!!"

Another voice … " We got compromised, they got people in the building.. "

Again an other voice … "Hamid and Ahmet are missing!"

It seemed like there was a discussion going on and suddenly again the sound of a man, who was obvious the leader.

"Alright listen carefully, we have what we wanted, kill our prisoners. It was not the deal, but things got complicated now. Better of to kill our hostages…. "

"But sir…."

"Do as I told you, and we will be fine!"

The man started to instruct people on their tasks and the fire commenced again on the door, so Sharpe couldn't hear what they were talking about but realized his time was running out. He looked around and saw just Backstabber disappearing ……

Sharpe looked back to the door and watched the shadows, that felt between the door and the floor. After he saw Backstabber leaving through the window, he decided, since he was the last, it was time to get the hell out of here.

He lowered his riffle and heard all kinds of screaming. Then he heard somebody something shouting and heard something bouncing on the floor, on the other side of the door. People stepped away, and Sharpe knew immediately what it was.

The next moment, the area was filled with a loud bang. The cold air replaced itself with hot air, and scrap metal flew around. The window behind him shattered into a thousand pieces while the wall took some damage of scrap metal and flying door parts. Sharpe praised himself for standing behind the pillar and not behind the desk, as he saw it getting splintered to pieces by a large chunk of the door.

The smell of explosives, gun powder and hot metal penetrated Sharpe's nose and it made Sharpe smile. Sharpe enjoyed battles. He always had done that. He remembered the time he, Dorvalla and Joop had practised in the old courtyard from the old mansion that was placed nearby. The owner had donated the courtyard to the GK army and had designed together with a few army officers a training compound, with sewers, old wrecked buildings and objectives that varied from places. The trick was to get a black suitcase, after questioning a random placed officer, who filled in the details and deliver it to an extraction point.

In the times before Dorvalla had left for his diplomatic mission, he, Sharpe and Joop played hours, days and months on this training compound. They were very experienced in this, and had clear tactics. That's why Joop probably had put Dorvalla and Sharpe together as team when they infiltrated this building 45 minutes ago.

Sharpe allowed himself to smile, although he could feel the heat hit his face. Sharpe's hearing was gone for a few moments. A beep took over his hearing as the grenade had temporarily removed all sounds around him.

Sharpe leaned aside and looked at the door, well, what was left. The door was gone, and the frame where the door was in was torn apart as well. The wall around the frame was damaged as well and was covered with a black mark, indicating the power of the explosion.

Sharpe decided not waste to much time, since he still had to get out of here and reached down one of his pouches, and took out a flash-bang grenade. He cooked it and tossed it inside the hallway, alerting the people in the hallway, who were now advancing. They started screaming, jumping, and tried to duck or dive away. The flash-bang exploded, people screamed, and reached to the floor, probably blind or losing their balance by the sound the flash bang did to them.

Sharpe reached into his other pouch and took a smoke grenade out of it, cooked it, and threw it next to the door opening. The smoke grenade bounced a few times on the floor and ended up laying silent against the door. It popped and immediately it started spreading smoke, that searched it's way up to the ceiling.

The room started to fill up with smoke, and Sharpe took a step backwards, looked down and saw how Backstabber climbed down with ease. Sharpe stepped through the window, grabbed another smoke grenade, cooked it, and threw it front of him. Then he quickly swapped the riffle to his back.

The curtain of smoke made it impossible to see in the room, and Sharpe realized now was the time to go split. He grabbed the rope and slid down, as a fireman would do over a pole when there would be an emergency.

He slid down in great speed, not looking up and focused on the landing on the floor. He felt the knots as he slid over them, but he didn't care for now. He wanted to be safe, so Sharpe ignored the pain that he felt in the palms of his hand.

He made the last jump and crouched as he landed on the floor. He stood up as he saw Backstabber, covering obviously him. Sharpe looked up, while drawing his gun again from his back and aimed up. He waited for something….

"Where the hell are you waiting for?" Sharpe shouted over the field, "Bomb the freaking window!"

After Sharpe shouted that, grenades were fired and flew in the window, probably hitting the back wall from the room, since the door was not in a logical position. The smoke grenades covered up the sound, but Sharpe didn't care right now. The damage would be seen later anyway, and hopefully, a grenade would take out somebody in that room, if there was somebody in there.

Backstabber tapped Sharpe on the shoulder and gestured with his thumb to the group. Sharpe nodded and they both ran over the field towards the group. Sharpe turned around when they were almost there and looked to the window while now stepping back slowly. He looked at it and shook his head.

He reached the group, folded his arms, and made them stop fire. "Alright men, spare your bullets, you might need it later!"

"Yes sir!" replied Poker and White-Eagle at the same time, and ceased fire. They stood up, and escorted the group towards the safe zone, as Poker defined it during their run towards the mobile command centre.

They entered the camp, and finally, after realizing that they made it all out safe and sound, Sparky sighted and fell down in the grass.

Sharpe crouched, sat down in the grass next to Silantia and noticed how tired and exhausted he was after this mission. He smiled, but hardly could move the muscles. The adrenaline was gone now and tiredness slipped over him. He closed his eyes and opened them after a few seconds, sighting heavy. He felt Silantia's hand on his shoulder, giving him a pat.

"Great Job, Soldier!" Silantia finally said and reached to the bottle of water that Dee gave to him. Silantia took a sip of the refreshing liquid and licked his lips, looking aside then to Sharpe.

"Thank you, Sir!" Sharpe replied, taking also a bottle of water from Dee and looked to Joop, who was sitting on the stairs of the mobile command centre. Joop nodded at him and Sharpe raised up his thumb.

"Semper Fi, Silantia ……." Sharpe said then to his commanding officer, "……….Semper Fi!"

"Sir, somebody should really take a look at that, else it might take an infection or swell!"

Silantia looked up and stared at the field medic. The man pointed towards a mobile first aid post that they had set up. He saw Poacher sitting there. Another field medic was busy with his hands, although it didn't seem bad.

Silantia decided it was better for him to get a check over. He felt tired. The burst of adrenaline in his body clearly cost him more energy then he had thought. And being locked up in a muff room for about two hours hadn't helped really either. Maybe they could fix him up with a drink anyway. Although the water had refreshed him a bit, he could use some caffeine. Maybe a Red-Bull or coffee would do the trick to make him a bit more active.

He took the medics hand, who helped him up and walked to him to the medical post. Silantia sad down on one of the chairs they had placed down, and the medic reached into his bag and fished out a little flash light, and start checking his eyes.

"Doesn't look like you have a concussion!" he mumbled while he shined the light in his eyes. He threw the flashlight back in his bag and looked to Silantia's face, looking at the scars and the dried up blood that was over it.

"Doesn't look to bad, sir!" he said more to himself then towards his patient, "I will clean the wound up for you!"

"That's fine, soldier!" said Silantia while he looked around the camp. It seemed the cavalry had arrived and a whole different division had taken over the duties. Maybe because his division was a bit out numbered. And because he gave some of his men also a few days off. Well it was weekend, and some of them wanted to see their family. He guessed other divisions had different rules about these 'day offs'

Silantia shrugged and saw how Joop was exchanging words with Slayer. Probably the switch over of duty. Slayer would take command over his division from here. They would sweep the building and would deal with the threat further. It wasn't his responsibility anymore.

Now he thought about it, Silantia wasn't so sure if it was ever his responsibility. Yes, those guys had ran into his office, smacked his head on the desk, and dragged him out. When he found himself conscious again, he was tied up already in a room, although he had figured out quickly they were still on the compound.

Yes, he guessed it was Joop's responsibility at the moment he lost the power to command his troops. He could never have commanded his troops while he was up there. He couldn't see the actions his men did, except when the failed rescue attempt of Spark and 3rd were brought to light. Spark had told Silantia about what happened. The trap that was set up at the Weapons Cache.

As Silantia had heard what happened inside, he believed that Black Sun had great intel. Nobody knew at that point how many people were inside. When Sharpe had dropped in, he had told Silantia by his fingers the amount of people that were still there. And Sharpe wasn't even sure at that moment. Apparently they had covered their tracks well and ….

A painful sensation ran over his skin, and Silantia tried not move, as the field medic did his job by cleaning the wound. Carefully he went to work and whipped away the blood from his face together with other dirt around and on the wound. A few scars became visable and Silantia looked at them in the mirror. He reached with his hand to them and touched it with his fingertips

"Looks worse then it is, Sil!" said Joop who stood now next to him. "You could have been worse!"

Silantia sighted, remembering the last words he heard when he was up in that room. 'Kill them all, no survivors..'

"You can say that, Joop!" said Sharpe, who walked now towards them. "Check me too after your done, doc!" he remarked towards the field medic, showing his elbow, that was bleeding.

The field medic nodded and went on cleaning the other wounds on Silantia's body. Silantia seemed to have also some bleeding wounds on his arm, that needed stitches. He got that injury when he went down via the rope.

Silantia said still, suddenly frowning.. "Where is Biker? I thought the head doctor would be here?"

The field medic stopped, and looked to Sharpe and Joop. Joop gestured the medic to continue his work and saw Silantia frowning. Sharpe looked down and Joop's face went sad. Silantia got the message immediately. "Who?"

"Dorvalla!" Sharpe said. "He saved my life earlier almost with the cost of his own. He has been reanimated and Biker has him now in surgery!"

"Bad?"

"We don't know," said Joop. "First words indicate he will be okay, but they have to remove allot scrap metal from his body, and well, some other surgery as broken bones…"

"… was it a grenade?" Silantia asked.

"Jep, " said Sharpe, suddenly feeling himself getting emotional. "He pushed me away and protected me from the blow!"

Silantia sighted .. "So far for his come back…. Is he the only one injured?"

Joop and Sharpe exchanged a worried look to each other and Sharpe gave Silantia his bottle of water.

"Obrien has more a psychological problem, I think, " started Joop carefully. "I asked RC-Rally to take him to the hospital!"

"Why psychological?" asked Silantia

"Of what he has seen!" Joop responded softly

Silantia didn't understand it all.. "What has he seen then?"

Joop looked down, but Sharpe stepped in now. "He saw Jamal getting blown to tiny pieces….."

Silantia dropped his jaw and let the bottle of water go. He gasped for air. He saw black in front of his eyes but heard the voice of Joop clearly

"Jamal isn't with us no more…"


	13. Intermezzo 4, Unwelcome INformation

Intermezzo 4  
Unwelcome Information

"Alright …. I understand ……. Yes it will be taken care of….. Yes ………. I will inform him ….. just go home when they are gone, take a good nap and give me that report tomorrow …. No, I have still things to handle ……… but ……. For fuck sake, just drop it on my desk tomorrow …. Thanks Biker, appricate it"

Joop hang up his cell phone and sighted deeply. He leaned over and grabbed a post-it, wrote a number on it, folded it and safely stored it in his wallet. Then he looked up from his wallet and stared at the faces of Sharpe and Silantia, who had joined him in his office. His office wasn't far positioned from the attacked weapons cache and Sharpe had decided to bring Silantia here, while Joop had given over his command to Slayer, who would handle the situation. And Slayer did so, by sending in two squads, clearing out the building.

Sharpe frowned at Joop while Silantia took a sip from the bottle of water he still had; his hands were lightly shaking from all the information he needed to process.

"That was Biker, " started Joop off, "Dorvalla is being transferred to the nearest hospital as we speak. Biker diagnosed Dorvalla with a serious head concussion, a broken shoulder, a displaced ankle, and serious flesh wounds all over the body. Biker has decided to keep him best now in coma, so he wont have to feel the immense pain of his body. The hospital will do tests on him for blood poisoning, because of his exposure towards the blast."

Silantia nodded.

" … continuing with the next person, " said Joop, swallowing, "Jamal …. Will be brought in at his workstation as soon as possible. Biker will perform the first autopsy, and the body will be send then after the autopsy as well to the hospital for further investigation…."

Sharpe sat on a chair, and listened silently towards Joop story.

"His findings will be tomorrow at my desk, Silantia … " continued Joop, "Since I am ordering you to take off for a little bit. Put this all over you. Don't worry about a thing right now. Go home, spend some time with your girlfriend, take a week off!"

"Joop is right, Sil," Sharpe said, "You been in the middle of a fight, and being the hostage isn't easy. I think we are going to do the same with 3rd and Evilspark, I assume?"

Joop nodded, and Sharpe continued again.

"I am the last one to say it, Sil, but … ehm … go see a doctor, make sure you get examined completely. Also, a session with a shrink would help you getting through these rough times!"

Silantia frowned and grinned at Sharpe….

"I am not gonna share my lifestory with some kind of money stealing idiot who thinks he can help me!"

"Anyway, " replied Joop, "You are getting off from now on. I ll run the division for now, and we will see how you will do in a week.

Sil looked from Joop to Sharpe and back, sighted, and realized he couldn't talk his way out of their thoughts. He could see they both meant it and deep inside he knew as well he should take off. The last thing the division needed now was a stressed out, not capable of leading commanding officer who was still shaking in his boots.

"Alright, you two win. But for one week only!" Sil answered finally after a moment of silence, "But I want everyday an update!"

Joop shook his head, while Sharpe grinned. "No, you wont get it!"

Sil frowned, but Joop continued, "We don't want your thoughts dwell over work. It would make it all worse!"

"You just need some time off. Go on holiday, hell, take my keys and stay for a week in my holiday home with your girlfriend!" Sharpe jumped in and reached down one of his pouches and took a keychain out of it. "You 'll love the environment, I am positive about it!"

Sharpe slid some keys away to reveal another key with a green small sticker on it. He removed it from his chain and placed it in front of Silantia. Silantia looked at, wondering if he should accept the offer, but he knew Sharpe and he wouldn't take no as an answer. He decided to take the key and hold on for it. He would decide later then to go away for a bit. Now to think about it, he needed the time off indeed. Last time he took off for a few days from the base was when his brother married, which was about four years ago….

Silantia took the key and slid it in his pocket.

"Thanks, but I don't know if I will use it and …."

Sharpe gestured with his hand and waved with the other one the comment away …

"Just think about it … you have the key now, use it wisely!"

Silantia could bring up a mere smile, but that was about it. He had to much pain right now, not only mentally, but also physical. He felt his legs, being heavy, and the punches in his stomach also still caused a decent amount of pain.

He took a sip from his bottle of water again, and looked to Joop again, who was studying some paperwork. Silantia could see Joop was trying to shift his attention to something else, but the loss of Jamal caused him also trouble to concentrate.

Sharpe had stand up and had positioned himself in front of the window. He was looking at how Slayer was walking around, instructing people and ordering squads to take position. With his hands on his back, he stared blank outside

"It's funny, you know…"he finally said, still facing the window, "Jamal knew what he was doing, yet being caught by a booby trap isn't his style. I mean, when was the last time Jamal made a mistake with diffusing a bomb?"

Joop looked up from his paperwork. "Last mistake he made was when he was still in Bravo Squad, 4 years ago, and that was just for playing around with a fake bomb!"

"You believe in a set up?" Silantia asked

"I don't know…." Sharpe said and went silent again


	14. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Cover stories

Sharpe pushed the door open and walked through the hallway to the counter. On both sides, doors would bring him to different rooms, where he would only see pain and misery. At least, that was his thought about this place. Sharpe never liked hospitals. His thoughts would dwell to much to the field hospital he was treated during the last raid of the base. He had been shot in the leg and recalled how Dorvalla had carried him over his shoulder for 2 miles towards the nearest field outpost in the middle of the night without night vision goggles. The had walked into a trap set up by terrorists while securing the area. With Dorvalla being at that moment a lousy shooter, he had actually scared the two guys off with shooting them both in the arm. He recalled him laughing that he aimed to kill.

Sharpe shook his head and let a smile play over his face. Dorvalla had been indeed a lousy shooter, yet he was a person the squad never could live without. He was the friendly person, a person you could rely on in tough times and he was a great person to hang out with in the evening.

"Excuse me, nurse?" Sharpe asked when he reached the counter. The girl behind the counter, hardly twenty four Sharpe predicted, looked up.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me in what room Sergeant Dorvalla is in?" He looked around, feeling like a civilian again. Instead of his camouflaged army uniform, he was wearing now a pair of jeans, normal sneakers, and a t-shirt with the text 'I hate Smurfs'. He moved his feet towards the counter and tapped it with the points of his shoes.

She smiled.. "I am sorry, sir, but Sergeant Dorvalla cant receive any visitors at this moment. Orders from the America's Army Temporarily Commanding Officer …. Ehm … his name was Joop or something like that …"

He grinned and opened his wallet, picking out a card and gave it to the Nurse… "I am Sharpe" he finally said and looked to the pretty nurse.

She apologized quickly. " I am sorry, sir. I didn't knew you were with the army. Dorvalla is in room 14, bed C, sir. Are you his superior?"

Sharpe had no idea what to answer. He knew he was Dorvalla's superior, but as they both knew, ranks didn't count for their friendship. Sharpe could be general even and still didn't gave a damn about Dorvalla's rank. Friendship was created without boundaries, no limits and definitely no ranks. Equals.

"I serve with him on the base, he is my friend!" Sharpe knew he was evading the question now.

She frowned, wondering if he was going to answer her question. Sharpe realized it was a verbally lost battle and decided to give her a little more information.

"I was with him when … it happened!"

"Okay," the nurse replied tapping in her computer. "His condition is stable, and he is able to speak, as the doctor told me this morning. Although he is roughened up by the accident… and has problems still with eating and drinking, the doc say he should be out here soon."

Sharpe frowned at the word accident in his thoughts and wondered what was told to the hospital about how Dorvalla's condition had been created. He figured it would be best for now just to go with the flow.

"Alright thank you, miss…." He gave her nametag a glance .. "..Maryland …"

The nurse blushed, looked quickly at him and then moved back to the paperwork she had been busy with.

Sharpe walked further and smiled. He was wondering if he should meet a girl. He wasn't getting younger anyway, and the days in the army had made him look a lot older then he actually was. Truth was that Sharpe hadn't reached the age yet of settling down. At least, he believed in that. First to serve loyal the army and after that, well, finding maybe a nice job, have a lovely wife and have children.

He looked to the signs next to the door and stopped at room number 14, which was at the end of the hallway. On the other side, a doctor just came out of the door, throwing his gloves in the garbage can next to the door. He looked to Sharpe's shirt and smiled, obvious thinking probably about the Smurfs. Then he walked towards Sharpe, deciding he should chat maybe with him.

"Good day, sir. I am doctor Mallard. I don't see often guests to my patients…"

"Well, to be honest, I don't step often foot in a hospital, doc," Sharpe said, extending his hand to reach for the doctors hand, shaking it, "Colonel Sharpe, Genesis Knights America's Army Division!"

"You coming to see your sergeant?" the doctor asked, knowing it was actually a stupid question.

"Well, I guess so, I wouldn't come here just for fun, would I?"

"With all these patients? I doubt it! I don't know how you can handle third degree burning wounds or pieces of bones coming out of the human skin?"

"Not well, doc, not well!" Sharpe replied, shaking his head. The doctor smirked and looked then to one of the charts next to the door. "How is he?" asked Sharpe.

"Doing considerably well actually." The doctor replied. "The diagnose your field medic has made helped us a lot . We placed the ankle back, put his shoulder in a brace, cleaned his wounds, but kept him in a coma until this morning, because of the internal bleedings he had. We managed to stop them, and let them heal now!"

Sharpe nodded, "When would he back on the job?"

Before Sharpe had realized, that question jumped out of his mouth in open air.

"Well in this rate, he can go home at the end of the week, and I guess, if it all goes fine, he can start training in 6 weeks again. But I doubt if it would be a wise choice."

The doctor shrugged, not understanding the army mentality, and said goodbye after that to Sharpe. He stepped away and went to the next room, while Sharpe opened the door of room 14.

--

"Hey Dorv!"

Sharpe raised his hand and walked inside of the room. It wasn't a big room, but Sharpe didn't expect that anyway. Hospital rooms were ment to be small, well at least big enough to have 2 or 4 patients on a room. This room could have 2 patients, but only one spot was obviously taken, since there was only one bed at this moment. Sharpe assumed this was the work of Joop, cutting it in a deal with the hospital because he was for now still a war hero.

Dorvalla shifted his gaze slowly from the tv, that was on, towards Sharpe and he smiled slowly. Searching for his remote, he tried to reach up but felt himself already exhausted only by the idea. He found the remote on the left side of his bed and pressed the 'stand-by' button.

"Hey Sharpe.."

His voice was like somebody had rasped his vocal cord, cause it was all low and corny. Though Sharpe knew it would go away in time, it was because of all over his body, he had pain and probably they gave him painkillers to ease the unpleasant feeling.

Sharpe smiled softly.

"How are you feeling?"

Dorvalla leaned on his elbows to get up higher, and Sharpe quickly grabbed an extra pillow to support his back. He tucked it right behind his back and Dorvalla slowly fell back on the pillow.

"Much better now …"

He gestured to a mug at the sink and Sharpe grabbed it while Dorvalla extended his arm for the coffee can they had placed on the side table next to his bed. He grabbed it and poured slowly the coffee in the mug, having his two hands holding the can steady.

Sharpe appreciated it, and sipped slowly the brown warm liquid away. He placed halfway drinking the cup on the table and sat down on a chair next to the bed. He looked at Dorvalla again, checking up his face. There weren't that many burnmarks there. Probably his body protected his face from the blast. Although there were some scars, probably from the fragments of the grenade.

"Do you still remember?" Dorvalla suddenly asked

"Remember what?" Sharpe replied, off course knowing what he ment.

"Those 10 seconds?"

Sharpe wanted to lie about it. He knew his body was in pain and actually explaining the whole story would maybe bring back memories. He didn't knew actually if Dorvalla remembered it, so he tried it the other way around.

"Do you?"

"Every second…." Dorvalla slowly replied and closed his eyes. "I hoped it was a bad dream, but every time I find myself again in this bed!"

"Look it from the bright side, " Sharpe replied, immediately regretting his words, but he felt like saying it anyway, "I could have bended over your coffin right now!"

"Your not the first one who said that!" Dorvalla chuckled softly, immediately looking in pain, "Joop said that too yesterday!"

Sharpe laughed; luckily his friend hadn't lost his sense of humour.

"So if Joop was here, " Sharpe continued, "… did he told you what has been going on?"

Dorvalla shook his head slowly. He didn't knew it, and honestly it was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Buddy, I didn't asked Joop for it. He was yesterday not himself anyway. He was distant, like he was struggling with a conflict from within. So I didn't bother to ask. I knew at some point somebody would enlighten me on everything that would happen!"

Sharpe took a sip of his coffee again, and wrapped his hands around the cup, holding it in front of his chest. He seemed to search for words or trying to make up in his mind.

"You know how it all ended right?"

"You being the hero and saving the 3? yes! That's a story 3rd told me 3 days ago. How you used the ventilation access with Backstabber…. Although I didn't believe it at first. I mean, You had so much luck in there."

Sharpe enjoyed for a second his moment of fame again, but he knew he had been indeed extremely lucky. Like an angel watched over him or something.

"Alright, did 3rd told you also about what happened next?"

Dorvalla frowned.

"I take that as a no, my friend!" Sharpe replied to Dorvalla's facial expression and took slowly another sip. "And I think I should begin on where 3rd ended…….."

Sharpe stood up, placed the mug on the table and walked to the window.

"We didn't knew it was an inside job. We had no idea what actually played at the moment we knew about Silantia. It was all planned, it was all set up. It was ….one big trap. The moment actually Silantia was kidnapped, we walked, with our eyes open, right in their trap."

"A trap, but how?"

"It was planned, to good organized. Alright, we learned that they actually had been on base already for at least 10 days, the last day the laundry van had been seen. We found it though, burned out, placed in the Shipping and Receiving terminal."

"And nobody noticed the van was gone?"

"No, apparently the gate watch thought the laundry was closed for holidays. That investigation is running on the CoD guys, not on us. Anyway, we found the driver shot in the back of his head in one of the stinger boxes. The wanted to be sure he was found later apparently, cause we found a note on him. I guess somebody decided to leave us a message…"

"What was on it?"

"Well the logo of Black Sun was on it, and with a message 'give us back what belongs to us' … it doesn't make sense to me, so that's one still for investigation."

"How the hell do you get allot of guys in a laundry van? I mean, that Mitsubishi isn't that big, I think with laundry cards in it, maybe 2 people at most"

"I will come to that later, Dorv, don't worry. I am just trying to sum it up for you now. Alright Silantia was kidnapped in the open air the next day, right after you left his office. That means somebody knew you were there. They had been checking routines of him, so probably, somebody was already for a long time on that terrain, explaining every move of Silantia."

"So somebody has infiltrated us…. "

"Yes, but it took to long before we actually figured it out, we lost somebody else as well because of him……….."

"Well, who is it then ………"


End file.
